welcome to the programme. it was budget day here in britain today. a big set piece annual event in which the chancellor stairs into the crystal ball, and tries to predict the future and how best to steer the uk economy through it. the obstacles in his way are common to europe and the united states. high inflation, higher interest rates, and since the pandemic, an intractably acute labour shortage. this graph trackjob vacancies across europe since august 2022, historically high after the pandemic, but you will see the uk, the red line at the very top, is struggling more than most. with 1.1 million vacancies. if more people are employed, more people are paying tax. the good news for the chancellor is that the uk will swerve recession this year thanks to growth returning by the summer. but the economy will still contract by 0.2%. and any brighter news, is tempered by slower growth over the long term. mr hunt said the uk would only grow by 1.8% next year and byjust 2.5% in 2025
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