Rishi Sunak announced his Budget to the House of Commons this afternoon – revealing the government’s financial blueprint for recovery after one of the most tumultuous economic years on record.
Whilst the image of the Chancellor holding aloft the iconic red briefcase always attracts interest, the build-up to ‘Budget 2021’ had been accompanied by considerable buzz.
Many businesses have only been permitted to trade for a few months since COVID-19 first forced Britain into lockdown last March, whereas some sectors have remained closed entirely.
With an ‘irreversible’ roadmap to reopen the economy now published, millions have been speculating as to whether financial support will remain available – and how the country will get back on its feet.
Here’s a breakdown of everything Sunak had to say in his address to MPs on March 3.
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What was in the 2021 Budget?
Sunak’s debut Budget in March 2020 was an anomaly; including a series of policies designed to manage the economic impact of a deadly virus which was, back then, only in its infancy.
But the pandemic quickly spiralled out of control in the aftermath of that address, and the Chancellor has been forced to make regular interventions ever since to keep the economy afloat.
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On Wednesday, Sunak announced how the country planned to recover from its £355 billion debt incurred during the past 365 days, as well the financial support that will be accessible.
Sunak unveiled a three-part plan to “protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people”, predicting a “swifter and more sustained recovery” to pre-COVID levels by the middle of 2022.
The furlough scheme will be extended
To protect the jobs and livelihoods of the British people through the remaining phase of this crisis, the furlough scheme will be extended until the end of September. #Budget2021pic.twitter.com/q48eo1ppqI
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme has resulted in millions of employees being furloughed since March – with the government covering 80% of wages for hours staff cannot work.
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Around 11 million jobs have been protected as a result.
The Chancellor confirmed on Wednesday that this furlough scheme is set to be extended until September 2021.
However, as the economy reopens again, employers will be expected to make contributions.
From July, companies will need to pay 10% towards furlough payments. This will increase to 20% in August and September.
The National Living Wage will be increased to £8.91 from April.
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Self-employed support will continue
Support for the self-employed will continue with a 4th grant covering February to April, and a 5th grant from May.
As the tax return deadline has now passed, 600,000 more people, many of whom became self-employed last year, can now claim the 4th and 5th grants. #Budget2021pic.twitter.com/1nJO2ZmPqn
The Chancellor also confirmed further support for the self-employed in the weeks ahead.
This includes a fourth grant covering February to April, and a fifth grant from May.
Sunak added: “As the tax return deadline has now passed, 600,000 more people, many of whom became self-employed last year, can now claim the 4th and 5th grants.”
Grants are being made available for retail, hospitality and personal care companies
‘Restart Grants’ worth £5 billion are being introduced to support businesses before reopening.
This includes grants of up £18,000 for pubs, hairdressers and gyms.
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Non-essential retail premises will be able to claim up to £6,000.
The 5% reduced rate of VAT will also be extended for six months to September 30 – with an interim rate of 12.5% for six months.
Business rates relief will continue until the end of June.
Apprentice incentive payments are being increased
We’re taking what works to get people into jobs and making it better.
Today we’re doubling the apprentice incentive payments we give businesses to £3,000 – that’s for all new hires, of any age. #Budget2021pic.twitter.com/1ld67CRfNr
To help get young people into jobs, the Chancellor has also announced that apprentice incentive payments for businesses will be increased.
“Today we’re doubling the apprentice incentive payments we give businesses to £3,000 – that’s for all new hires, of any age,” he stated.
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The Stamp Duty cut is being extended
The new £500,000 nil rate band for #StampDuty won't end on 31st March, it will end on the 30th June.
Then, to smooth the transition back to normal, the nil rate band will be £250,000, double its standard level, until the end of September. #Budget2021pic.twitter.com/jq7APWRP5M
Sunak also confirmed that the Stamp Duty cut will be extended by three months.
The Chancellor stated: “The new £500,000 nil rate band for Stamp Duty won’t end on March 31, it will end on the June 30.
“Then, to smooth the transition back to normal, the nil rate band will be £250,000, double its standard level, until the end of September.”
Planned duty increases for alcohol and fuel are being cancelled
Planned increases in duties for spirits have been cancelled / Image: Adam Wilson via Unsplash
Elsewhere in the Budget, the Chancellor announced that planned increases in duties for spirits like Scotch whisky, wine, cider and beer will all be cancelled.
The planned increase in fuel duty is also being cancelled.
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Paying back the debt…
We're not going to raise the rates of income tax, national insurance, or VAT.
Instead, we are freezing personal tax thresholds. Nobody’s take home pay will be less than it is now, as a result of this.
In an attempt to pay back the money borrowed to fund the government’s COVID economic recovery packages – which has led to the highest rate of UK borrowing since World War II – Sunak said that he would be freezing personal tax thresholds.
Corporation tax will increase to 25% from April 2023.
The Chancellor pledged not to raise the rates of income tax, national insurance, or VAT.
“Nobody’s take home pay will be less than it is now, as a result of this,” Sunak stated.
“It is a tax policy that is progressive and fair.”
Salford Red Devils supporters meet winding-up adjournment with a petition of their own
Danny Jones
Large numbers of Salford Red Devils supporters are currently rallying behind the push to remove their current ownership group, meeting yet another delay to the winding-up petition with a petition of their own: one that would see the owners kicked out of the club, full stop.
Shared online yesterday, the ‘Salford Red Devils Fans Against Jacobsen Venture Group’ (JVG) petition has amassed more than 1,000 signatures and is rapidly gaining traction.
But these supposed assurances all sound far too familiar and are clearly no longer enough for most fans. They no longer care about future investment from those currently behind the scenes: they just want them gone for good.
For context, in addition to more than £700,000 in outstanding fees owed to HMRC, the 152-year-old sporting organisation is also estimated to owe in excess of £5m to various other creditors.
As a result, after a third stay of execution earlier this week – but one that has done little more than prolong this long-drawn-out uncertainty – most fans have simply had enough.
Following up with a lengthy open letter on Wednesday evening, 29 October, the increasingly militant fan group known as The 1873 said of the potential new funding, “Let us be absolutely clear, we have heard all of this before.”
Even poking holes in the board’s own statement, noting that it suggests that “funding has been formally secured” before noting that it has not yet officially arrived.
“This kind of vague language”, they say, “is exactly what supporters have been subjected to for months: a cycle of empty promises and missed deadlines.
Helping spearhead the ‘JVG Out’ petition, leading member Nick Holt went on to tell BBC Sport Manchester that the patience and blind faith have simply run out.
🗣️ "We do not want these within our club"
Salford Red Devils' owners announced they have secured new funding to settle outstanding debts and clear a winding-up petition against them.
The 1873 went on to write: “Back in September, the same individuals told the courts that funding would arrive ‘within 10 days’. It never did. In August, at the meeting with The 1873, they claimed money would be in place by the end of that month. It wasn’t.
“Every single time, the same promise and every single time, the same failure to deliver. False hope and no real investment. It is vital [that] supporters understand what is actually being proposed. The owners are not clearing the club’s debts, including the millions they have personally run up.
“Instead, they intend to roll all debts into one high-interest loan, a move that only deepens the long-term financial hole. How do they plan to service such a loan? Next season, the club’s central distribution is set to drop from around £1.3 million to less than £100,000.”
Noting that the recent IMG grading drop and subsequent relegation from the Betfred Super League will mean a significant drop in revenues across the board, they have quite rightly asked where the higher-ups expect to find the funds to make their already heavily overdue repayments.
“Season ticket sales are expected to collapse under the current ownership”, they continue, “and major commercial sponsors will not associate with this regime.
“To claim that this ‘funding’ secures the future of a 152-year-old club is not just misleading, it is an insult to every supporter who has kept this club alive through generations.”
A petition like this and further demonstrations were guaranteed from the moment Salford Red Devils were relegated.
The impassioned response from the group signs off by adding: “The ownership’s reference to a so-called ‘strategic plan’ for a return to Super League in 2027 is beyond belief. Where is this plan? Why has it not been shared with supporters?
“At this moment, there is no head coach for 2026, no contracted players, and no football department infrastructure. To talk about a Super League return within two years is pure fantasy […] The reality is simple: This ownership group has repeatedly failed to deliver on its promises.
“It has mismanaged and misled, time and again. Every new statement only confirms how detached they are from the damage they continue to cause.”
Most drastically, they insist that supporters will no longer “be fooled” nor continue to recognise the current ‘stewards’ failing to live up to that title by giving their own time and money to the regime, urging fellow fans to refrain from renewing season tickets, purchasing any merchandise, or attending games.
It’s a bold stance, to be sure, but it’s clear that those most fiercely loyal of supporters are looking to wrestle back control however they can; if you’re one of them, you can sign the petition HERE.
Women can now get the ‘morning after pill’ free on the NHS at high street pharmacies
Emily Sergeant
Women can now get the ‘morning after pill’ free of charge on the NHS in high street pharmacies across England.
As part of a major expansion of pharmacy services announced by the NHS in what is said to be the biggest change to sexual health services since the 1960s, the oral emergency contraception pill is now available for free to women from almost 10,000 pharmacies across the country without needing to see their GP or get an appointment at a sexual health clinic.
The initiative is part of a wider package of support for community pharmacies, helping people to get the care they need in ‘convenient’ and ‘familiar’ settings.
Dr Sue Mann, who is an NHS National Clinical Director in Women’s Health called this move a ‘game-changer’ in making reproductive healthcare more easily accessible for women.
“Instead of trying to search for women’s services or explain their needs, from today women can just pop into their local pharmacy and get the oral emergency contraceptive pill free of charge without needing to make an appointment,” she added.
From today, women in England can get the emergency contraceptive pill for free from pharmacies, without needing a GP appointment.
This is part of ongoing work to expand NHS services through community pharmacies.
Free morning after pills aren’t the only change to pharmacies’ services this week, as people who have been newly prescribed antidepressants will also be able to seek additional advice and support about their medication and healthy lifestyle changes from their local pharmacist too.
As well as over-the-counter support and treatment for minor health concerns, community pharmacy services can also supply medicines to treat common conditions.
All of these changes follow a record funding boost by the Government to pharmacies of £617 million over two years, which is supported by Community Pharmacy England.
“This is a major step forward that removes barriers of access to reproductive care that have let women down for too long,” commented Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock.
“Pharmacies play a central role in communities, trusted by local people and easy to access [and] that’s why it’s vital there are a wide range of services and medications available.
“These changes will make it easier for people to get the advice and medications they need, while also reducing unnecessary pressure on GPs.”
The Manc -
3rd March 2021 
