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The full unabridged UK Budget speech as delivered by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in the House of Commons on Wednesday 6th March 2024, without additional comment.

Jeremy Hunt bounced around delivering his Budget on Wednesday, proudly declaring his commitment to tax cuts and supporting working families. Another 2% was chopped off National Insurance and the threshold at which child benefit is removed was raised from £50,000 to £60,000. But you don’t need to be a financial expert to know that the Chancellor’s version of events isn’t quite the whole story. Because Mr Hunt is also presiding over a long-term stealth tax freeze to thresholds that is costing workers dear and his child benefit move merely kicked sky-high marginal tax rates down the road, rather than getting rid of them altogether. Nonetheless, a tax cut and an extra £5,000 Isa allowance – even if it’s a slightly iffy, limited one – is not to be sniffed at. So, was this an escape velocity Budget that puts Britain back on the path to growth? Or was it too little, too late, from a Tory party that has sported successive Chancellors who have been keener to raise our taxes by hook or by crook rather than cut them – or even just keep thresholds in line with inflation? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at the winners and losers and go searching for the devils in the detail. What is the National Insurance cut worth to you? Will you get some child benefit back? Did pensioners deserve a tax cut too? With a failure to reverse his capital gains and dividend tax raid, what has the Chancellor got against small investors? And will the British ISA be any good? All that and more – plus a look at why Nationwide is buying Virgin Money, and whether that’s good or bad for us all.

Rishi Sunak's call for tolerance in Downing Street on Friday 1st March was couched in terms of hard work and endeavour, which are generally associated with self-interest; but what's really needed is convergence based on generosity of spirit, starting with tolerance and journeying through respect for others, no matter how different they are, towards unconditional love. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones

Universal provision of free health and social care plus the payment of interest on government debt comprise nearly two-thirds of UK public spending. We need fresh polices underpinned by a new set of principles appropriate for the 21st century, and political advisers and pundits would do well to check our Thought for this week when constructing their manifestos for the approaching UK general election. Background music: 'Everything Has a Beginning' by Joel Cummins

It's time to step up the role and democratic legitimacy of the United Nations in a way that prioritises peace, harmony, freedom and a fair standard of living for all people, from all walks of life — so let's look beyond national manifestos in this 2024 election year (in both the UK & USA) and start addressing the real global challenges of international conflict, climate change and participation for all. Background music: 'World's Sunrise' by Jimena Contreras

Oxford University Professor Ben Ansell is delivering this year's Reith Lectures on the future of democracy: whether it's in retreat across the world, whether citizens of wealthy countries have embraced a false sense of security, how to build a sense of solidarity in polarised societies, and how to enable continued economic growth without wrecking the environment in the process. But will he tackle the question of how democracy can — and should — evolve from national to global governance? And will he address the need for participation in individual ownership and the accompanying enhanced sense of responsibility, combined with the need for the young to be empowered through inter-generational rebalancing? The next three lectures will tell. Background music: 'Resolution' by Wayne Jones, Image source: BBC

On Wednesday 22nd November '23 Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt delivered his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons, focused on restoring UK economic growth. This is his full, unabridged speech as delivered, without commentary.

Adam Smith set out the foundation building blocks for economic growth in the Wealth of Nations, and capital and labour were the key components — Jeremy Hunt says he is now pursuing growth as his key priority, and there's no doubt that increasing capital availability in both public and private sectors will help: but where is the labour capacity? It's on NHS waiting lists. Background music: 'The Nexus Riddim' by Konrad OldMoney

The Autumn Statement arrives next week and the rumour mill has gone into overdrive. The idea of it being a simple update on the economy seems to have been abandoned and instead there is talk of an ISA overhaul, tax changes, and even inheritance tax being cut from 40% to 20%. But if you were Chancellor for the day, what would you do? Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert look at what could be on the cards as Jeremy Hunt stands up and delivers his Autumn Statement next week. On their agenda: Stealth tax - will the income tax thresholds freeze end? Inheritance tax - will the rate be cut to 20%? ISAs - will the allowance be boosted and the system improved? Savings - could the personal savings allowance get a rise?

A warm welcome back for David, now Lord, Cameron. Let's put the years of struggling in the wake of Brexit behind us, and look forward to a new global perspective in which Britain acts as a catalyst in bringing the world together. What better place to start than by setting out plans for strengthening the democratic legitimacy and authority of the United Nations, with a new perspective on long-term governance which fully addresses the challenges of conflict, climate change and inequality. Background music: 'Master of the Feast' by Kevin MacLeod (licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Image source: Wikipedia