In his Spring Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt set out a plan to deliver long-term growth for the UK with a number of key investments, including a £160m nuclear power deal, £120m for the Green Industries Growth Accelerator, £3.4bn towards digital transformation in the NHS, £270m for R&D projects and £650m investment in a vaccine manufacturing hub. However, some spokespeople in the engineering and tech industries think more could have been done.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt began his speech to parliament by saying that “the policies I announce today mean more investment, more jobs, better public services and lower taxes in a budget for long-term growth”. However, he was quick to point out that this growth would not be sustained by immigration.
In the lead up to the budget – the Chancellor’s final one before the general election – there has been much speculation about the headline announcements, two of which were a National Insurance tax cut of 2% and the scrapping of non-dom status.
While...