Jeremy Hunt forced to defend Budget impact on low-income earnersBreakfast, BBC
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00:00 How can that be fair? I notice you are not quibbling with the figures. Is
00:04 it true that if you are earning £15,000 because of your decisions
00:10 yesterday, you will be £400 a year worse off? Is that true? Hang on.
00:18 You are taking one figure in isolation. Let me tell you what I have
00:22 done to help people on lower income, which gives you the whole picture,
00:25 not just one statistic in isolation. I chose in the autumn statement to
00:32 increase benefits for people on low incomes in work and out of work by
00:38 more than double the rate of inflation. I increased the local housing
00:43 allowance, which is about £800, to 1.6 million people on low income.
00:48 Yesterday I extended the household support fund. We have done a lot of
00:52 things to make sure we are supporting people on low incomes and I will
00:56 continue to do so. I would be fascinated to see you explain that
01:01 to someone who is on £15,000 a year and will be £400 worse off. The
01:06 one thing you don't seem to be able to do is say that is true. I don't
01:12 know whether that figure is true or not. It doesn't sound right to me at
01:16 all. I am very happy to talk to anyone on low income and show them
01:21 that the decisions I have taken have prioritised support for people on
01:26 the lowest income. If I may interrupt you, it seems fascinating to me
01:35 that given all the machinations, all the computations you do around the
01:39 budget, that you as Chancellor would not know if someone is on a very
01:45 modest wage, like £15,000 a year, and is probably really struggling,
01:52 that you would not know the effect that your budget has on that person.
02:00 I dispute the fact that I took decisions yesterday that have the
02:04 impact that you say. What I look at very carefully as Chancellor is the
02:09 impact of my decisions on all income levels.