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This was a ‘nothing has changed’ Budget from an out-of-touch Government with no idea of the reality of people’s lives and no plan to improve them.

Today was the day this government and its embattled Tory Chancellor could have shown they understand the emergency in our public services, and the pressures facing working families. But they failed.

Instead we got a continuation of austerity. Just like his predecessor, George Osborne, this Chancellor carried on the gimmicks, like driverless cars; and the tricks like switching housing association debt off the Treasury’s books, in order for him to pretend he is meeting his own targets.

The last seven years of Tory austerity is failing. Economic growth is the lowest it has been since the Tories came to office and today’s Budget confirms that failure, with growth and wage forecasts revised down in every year of the forecast .

There was no meaningful funding for our schools still facing their first real terms funding cuts since the mid-90s and nothing even approaching the scale needed to address the crisis in our NHS or local government.

For all the fanfare on housing, today saw more tinkering in place of decisive action, with only one third of funding announced today genuinely new. The Chancellor announced no measures to directly increase house-building and, without that, lifting stamp duty for some will only drive up prices and benefit sellers, as the OBR have acknowledged.

(Image: PA)

The Government's rollout of Universal Credit is causing real suffering in our communities. Today rather than the halt the botched rollout and fix the failing system, the Chancellor has put back £1 for every £10 cut from the system. Today all the Chancellor could offer those struggling with debt and rent arrears is further debt.

The Tories want to pretend there is no money available for our public services or public sector workers.

But Philip Hammond is still ploughing ahead with billions of pounds’ worth of tax giveaways to big business and the super-rich over this parliament.

The Tories refused to act today, and we simply cannot go on like this anymore. They should step aside.

As the next Labour Government, we will provide the proper investment our country needs to build the high-wage, high-skilled economy of the future.