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Watch live from Downing Street as Jeremy Hunt prepares to announce the Budget on Wednesday 6 March.
The chancellor is expected to make a 2p cut to national insurance central to his announcement, which he said would deliver “more opportunity and more prosperity”.
Mr Hunt, who has faced pressure from Tory MPs to ease the record-high tax burden, promised “permanent cuts in taxation” that would bring “higher growth” as he seeks to woo voters ahead of this year’s general election.
He looks likely to announce a cut in national insurance by a further two percentage points on Wednesday, matching a cut in the autumn statement.
The change could save the average worker £450 a year, adding up to £900 when combined with last year’s move.
Mr Hunt was widely reported to have defied calls from some in Downing Street and many Conservative MPs to reduce income tax, which is more expensive but better understood by many voters.
