The most and conservative thing i could do would be to cut taxes by increasing borrowing. Thats just cutting taxes and saying future generations have to pick up the tax after. I wont to do that. But i do want, where its possible to do so, responsibly, to move towards a lower tax economy, and id hope to show a pass in that direction. But this will be a prudent and responsible budget for long term growth, tackling inflation, my investments, morejobs, and thats path to lower taxation as and when we can afford it. But you said also, that the forecast from the obr, which is the economic watchdog which marks your homework, you have said that the numbers have gone against us. So the picture is bleaker than it was at the beginning of the year . Why then are you looking now to cut taxes at all . These forecasts change the whole time. What happened in the autumn was that the forecast went in our favour unexpectedly, quite close to the end. So i was able to introduce the biggest business tax cuts
If hamas is ready to release the most vulnerable israeli hostages it holds. But one egyptian official says there are still technical issues to resolve, including agreement on the number of palestinian prisoners the israelis would be prepared to release in exchange. The us has carried out its first airdrop of humanitarian aid for gaza on saturday with more than 30,000 Meals Parachuted by three military planes. Inside gaza theres a desperate need forfood. The Hamas Run Health Ministry has said 15 children have died of malnutrition and starvation in gazas Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north of the strip. The head of the norwegian refugee council, jan egeland, who has visited the area, says there is now a famine in Northern Gaza. I think there is a famine in the north. Yes. There is no other way to describe what has befallen on the 300,000 people who live in the ruins of the north and who havent had really any aid for a very long time, because israel is not opening the border crossings from
Wigan and newport. Lets speak to marc ashdown, business correspondent. How rapidly have rents been rising . The bbc teamed up with that property portal and we asked them to track rent rises over the past three years. Between 2020 and 2023, they looked at 65 areas across the whole of the uk. For the areas which have seen the biggest increases. This graph tells a story. This is the average amount rents have gone up across the uk, just under 31 . These are the areas that have seen the biggest increases. Manchester, bolton, glasgow as you would expect. But six out of these ten are areas close to cities but not cities. These are towns within touching distance of cities. They have seen the biggest rent increases, luton, newport, bolton. Nearly 39 over the last three years, rents have gone up in bolton. 15 injust the last year. One of the Estate Agents we spoke to said in his 23 years, he hasnt seen anything like it, he described a staggering. Baez hasnt seen anything like it, he described a
Wyre davies, who is now injerusalem, about the doubts regarding whether the israeli delegation will participate in the cairo talks. Those earlier rumours from washington had sent pulses racing among some people, hoping that there may be an imminent agreement for a cease fire, however temporary, between hamas and israel. And the hamas delegation arriving in cairo today for the talks also expressed hope that a deal could be reached. And again, Optimism Sort of grew, but there were significant obstacles. And anybody covering this story over the last few months will know that often hopes of a ceasefire are dashed by realities on the ground. And one of israels obstacles and demands that was that hamas should present a detailed list of the hostages who would be released under the terms of any future agreement, of course, in exchange for palestinian prisoners in israeli jails. That list hasnt been provided by hamas. There are thought to be at about 134 hostages held by hamas and other groups