{"id":121383,"date":"2023-11-22T20:00:13","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T20:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/?p=121383"},"modified":"2023-11-22T20:00:13","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T20:00:13","slug":"jeremy-hunts-budget-wont-stop-election-defeat-says-ann-widdecombe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yourclomid.com\/politics\/jeremy-hunts-budget-wont-stop-election-defeat-says-ann-widdecombe\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeremy Hunt\u2019s Budget won\u2019t stop election defeat, says Ann Widdecombe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeremy Hunt to cut National Insurance from 12% to 10% from January<\/h3>\n

Jeremy Hunt\u2019s eagerly anticipated Budget will not save Rishi Sunak from defeat in next year\u2019s general election, former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe has predicted.<\/p>\n

Mr Hunt delivered his statement to a packed House of Commons today. Measures included cutting employee national insurance from 12 percent to 10 percent from January 6, the axing of class two national insurance for the self-employed, and increasing pensions by 8.5 percent.<\/p>\n

However, Ms Widdecombe, who served in several ministerial roles in the Government of John Major, was distinctly underwhelmed.<\/p>\n

The former Tory MP for Maidstone, more recently a Brexit Party MEP, told Express.co.uk: “Nobody does a pre-election budget and wears a hair shirt.<\/p>\n

“I mean it was bound to be a giveaway Budget and thus far, so predictable.”<\/p>\n

READ MORE: <\/strong> EU treaty reform ‘a constitutional coup’ to create ‘dystopian superstate'[ANALYSIS] <\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However, if Prime Minister Mr Sunak, whose party is lagging behind in the polls, was expecting the statement to rescue the Tories from defeat, he was likely to be disappointed, continued Ms Widdecombe.<\/p>\n

She explained: “I think the only people it might shore up are wavering Tories and they might decide to give them another chance.<\/p>\n

“But as for anybody else? No, I can’t see anyone, including Tories who’ve already left, being so wowed by this they want to vote Conservative.”<\/p>\n

Ms Widdecombe, who is now a member of Reform UK, added: “This is damage limitation.<\/p>\n

“And to that extent, if that\u2019s what you’re aiming for, damage limitation, it’s a pretty good Budget.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“But damage limitation generally involves losing, hence the name. Limitation not elimination.<\/p>\n

She added: “I think they’re certainly on course to lose. It\u2019s nothing to do, actually with this budget.<\/p>\n

“But just simply because there’s so much infighting, so much stupidity over immigration, they haven’t made any strides at all.<\/p>\n

“You know, the things that people care about, they’re just not dealing with and haven’t dealt with.<\/p>\n

“And this is now the last chance saloon and there isn’t much of a chance.”<\/p>\n