Chancellor Rachel Reeves told The Great Northern Conference in Hull she won't bring a budget like this again. She acknowledged the challenges for businesses, charities, and councils in facing higher employers' national insurance contributions.
Labour 's Budget is being blamed for a sluggish Christmas shopping period as shops struggle to get hard-pressed families to part with their cash.
Food sales underpinned a 0.2 per cent rise in business, lower than the 0.5 per cent rebound forecast by economist, after retail sales fell 0.5 per cent in October.The ONS also found that online sales were down across the board in November, though its figures did not cover the Black Friday period at the end of the month.
Martin Sartorius, the CBI's principal economist, said: 'Retailers have endured a gloomy festive period, with annual sales declining for a third consecutive month. Looking ahead, retailers expect sales to fall again in January, while wholesalers and motor traders are braced for sharper sales declines.
British retailers returned to growth last month, up 0.2 per cent, with supermarket pre-Christmas sales offsetting the weakest trading for clothing stores in almost three years. Elsewhere, online retail sales slipped for the second month in a row despite discounting ahead of Black Friday. Earlier this month angry trade union bosses warned of fresh NHS and school strikes after ministers recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for millions of public sector workers.
'Rachel Reeves has no feel for how to run an economy, instead she has already killed jobs, investment and growth on her watch.' And shadow chancellor Mel Stride warned it may mean Ms Reeves will have to break her pledge not to come back for more tax hikes to finance her spending plans. Mail readers will know when we've won. Their living standards will be higher. And they WILL feel better off, says Chancellor Rachel Reeves
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