'It’s a benefits bonanza!' Martin Daubney blasts Labour MP for claiming Budget will HELP households

Defending her Budget today, Ms Reeves told GB News her Budget is "focused on my priorities: cutting the cost of living, cutting NHS waiting lists and cutting debt and borrowing".

She added: "I achieved those things in my Budget, my second Budget as Chancellor of the Exchequer yesterday."

As Martin recited Labour's manifesto claim they would raise taxes by "£8.5billion before non-dom private school raids", he told Mr Pinto-Duschinsky it has gone up to "£66billion in tax raids in just to Budgets".

Asked if "Diane Abbott sat in charge of the abacus", Mr Pinto-Duschinsky responded: "The starting point for any conversation about the Budget must be one simple fact, 90 per cent of households, nine in 10 will benefit from this Budget.

"Virtually all of your listeners will benefit. Whether it's the £150 off of fuel bills, whether it's the rail freeze for the first time in 30 years, that was the year the Frappuccino was invented and Blur was still in the charts. It's real help to help real families."

Hitting out at Labour's benefits boost, Martin told the Labour MP: "You're saying you're reforming benefits, no you're not, you're raising benefits because you can't cut benefits. You had a backbench revolt.

"The benefits handout yesterday was part of a Labour budget for Labour MPs and Labour voters. Be honest. You should be cutting benefits, instead you're raising them?"

Hitting back at Martin, Mr Pinto-Duschinsky responded: "We literally in the budget got rid of the Tory luxury car benefit, where they were leaving out children but offering luxury cars to people. Because of our action, that's gone. Under the Tories, they had no face to face interviews for benefits. They dropped by 90 per cent, and we're bringing them back.

"Under the Tories, they left almost a million young people on the scrapheap, and it's these people that are driving so much of the welfare bill. We announced in that Budget our youth guarantee, £820million to get those people back to work, so we are reforming welfare, and that's a huge change."

Martin disagreed, stating: "You gave out £15billion in extra welfare yesterday. There was a benefits giveaway, a bonanza, you can massage it all you like, the benefits bill is going through the roof.

"You might think this is a good idea, I think it's terrible. The OBR forecast sayss the welfare bill will rise over the next five years by £73.2billion per year to £406.2billion. That's the welfare budget. What parallel universe are you in when you say you're cutting benefits? It's in your own Budget?!"

The Labour MP argued: "We are reforming welfare and we're determined to get people back in to work. But look, we are trying to make sure that we help working families, but we also get the national debt under control. Because at the moment, we are paying £1 in ten that is raised in taxes to pay for our national debt.

"That is money that should be going to our public services, that is money that should be going to help families. We're absolutely determined to change that, and that's why this Budget will bring down borrowing every yea, because we cannot be mortgaging our children's futures that way."

Martin hit back again, fuming: "You promised repeatedly before the election and after the election not to raise taxes on working people. You can window dress it all you like, the fact of the matter is, that was a lie.

"£8.3billion of extra tax rises on working people versus a £15billion benefits bonanza. Nine million more people now will be paying higher tax brackets under the Labour Party than before, 780,000 dragged into tax for the first time, almost a million dragged into higher rate tax for the first time, including NHS nurses. That is a complete misrepresentation of what you promised before the election?!"

Mr Pinto-Duschinsky disagreed, telling GB News: "Absolutely not, we've stuck to our manifesto commitments, but as Rachel said, we have been honest about the fact we are asking everyone to contribute, although we are focusing mostly on those with the broader shoulders."

Martin interjected, exclaiming: "Everyone's now got broad shoulders! How are we cutting the cost of living by bringing nine million people extra into the higher tax brackets?"

Mr Pinto-Duschinsky responded: "Nine households out of 10 will see a positive benefit from this Budget. We're cutting fuel bills, we're freezing rail fares, freezing prescription charges, freezing bus fares.

"We are bringing in 5.2 million extra appointments through 250 extra neighbourhood hubs, and we are bringing down the national debt. We're bringing down borrowing because that is the thing that will secure our nation's future."

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