UK politics: Tories dismiss PM’s everyday budget fixes as little help; cheaper gherkins an insult to families

Five measures before the budget

The government announced five measures ahead of tomorrow’s budget. They include removing import tariffs on more than 100 products, among them baked beans, chocolate and gherkins. The package also makes higher tax-free mileage rates permanent, extends parental pay to more than 150,000 additional parents each year, changes how Carer’s Allowance tapers as earnings rise, and adds hundreds of Post Office drop boxes. The government says tariff changes, alongside earlier suspensions, could reduce annual food bills by up to £21.

Support for workers and carers

The mileage changes lock in a rate of 55p per mile for the first 10,000 business miles and raise the rate above that level from 25p to 35p. Around 3 million employees and self-employed people who use their own vehicles for work are expected to benefit.

A worker driving 6,000 business miles would receive £120 a year in additional tax savings, while someone covering 15,000 miles could receive up to £300. Eligible parents would get two weeks of support worth up to £194 a week; the Carer’s Allowance change would reduce support by £1 for each extra £1 earned above the limit.

Critics say help is too limited

The article reports criticism that the measures do not match the scale of household pressures. One critic said inflation had already wiped out the benefits of the “everyday fixes,” while another called the focus on cheaper gherkins an “insult to families.” A separate response described the changes as sensible and helpful, though small, and warned against attacking them. The article also includes a defence of the country’s economic position, citing growth rates above European competitors, rising services exports to the European Union and more trade deals, but does not identify the speaker in that passage.

Post Office changes planned

The government plans to bring the total number of Post Office drop boxes to 1,000. The boxes are intended to make sending and returning parcels easier without waiting at a counter, particularly in the run-up to Christmas.