THE MP for Bromsgrove has criticised the chancellor's Budget saying it "doesn't deliver for working people."

Chancellor Rachel Reeves used her first Budget to announce £40 billion a year in extra taxes, with money being poured into schools, hospitals, transport and housing.

Ms Reeves said on Wednesday whilst announcing the Budget: “This is a moment of fundamental choice for Britain.

“I have made my choices. The responsible choices. To restore stability to our country. To protect working people.

“More teachers in our schools. More appointments in our NHS. More homes being built.

“Fixing the foundations of our economy. Investing in our future. Delivering change. Rebuilding Britain.”

But Bromsgrove MP Bradley Thomas has slammed policies announced in the Budget.

He said: “This Budget doesn’t deliver for working people, farmers, small businesses, pubs or pensioners across Bromsgrove and the Villages.

“We know this because today the Government finally came clean and revealed what they were planning to do all along: to raise our taxes and unleash a borrowing spree. Debt, borrowing, taxes, and inflation are all going up under this new Government whilst economic growth is going down.

“It was confirmed this Government has decided to proceed with its cruel tax on education which will punish all pupils no matter if they’re educated in independent or state schools. By charging VAT on independent school fees, this policy will push pupils into the state sector and this Government has no plan to deal with larger class sizes.

“By whacking up National Insurance for employers, it will ultimately be working people who pay the price for this Government’s assault on businesses.

“Hospitality and retail businesses are being punished further too with an increase in business rates. By setting business rate relief at 40%, when it was 75% under the previous Government, our pubs, hospitality and retail businesses will now see their business rate bills going up.

“This Government has broken a clear promise they made to our farmers on Agricultural Property Relief. As the President of the National Farmers Union has said, this policy will ‘snatch away the next generation’s ability to carry on producing British food.’

“There was no mention of the future of the Children’s Hospice Grant in today’s Budget Report. This funding is vital for hospices such as Acorns and I’ve been campaigning to get the Government to guarantee the grant for at least five years and increase it by the rate of inflation every year. I will urgently be seeking answers from the Government on whether or not they will protect and maintain the Children's Hospice Grant that supports so many vulnerable children and their families".

Ms Reeves claimed the scale of the public spending problems she inherited were worse than previously thought.

She repeated her claim that a £22 billion “black hole” left by the Tories in this year’s finances showed they “hid the reality of their public spending plans”, with problems recurring in future years.

Ms Reeves also promised to set aside £11.8 billion to compensate those affected by the infected blood scandal and £1.8 billion to compensate victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal.