Charlotte Cane MP: Chancellor’s budget delivers a bitter blow for Ely and East Cambridgeshire

Charlotte Cane MP has condemned today’s Budget (26 November) as failing families and businesses, accusing the Chancellor of ignoring the cost-of-living crisis and offering no credible plan for growth.

Charlotte called the Budget a “bitter blow”, warning that the Chancellor’s decision to freeze tax thresholds means hard-working people will pay more. She highlighted the mounting pressure on local families, businesses, and farmers in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.

The Liberal Democrat MP had urged the Government to cut VAT by 5% for hospitality and tourism until April 2027, reverse recent National Insurance hikes, and take urgent action to slash household energy bills. The Chancellor’s refusal to cut VAT risks more closures in the hospitality sector, threatening jobs and weakening high streets.

Charlotte also criticised the failure to scrap the Family Farm Tax, pledging to keep campaigning for farmers and rural communities. She warned that inheritance tax changes threaten family farms, local livelihoods, and the UK’s food security.

Investment in vital works to upgrade Ely Junction was also missing from the Budget once again. Charlotte said the upgrade would unlock rail capacity, boost jobs and trade, and deliver £4.89 for every £1 invested. She has repeatedly pressed ministers to act.

Speaking after the Chancellor’s Budget statement, Charlotte said:

“Today’s Budget is a bitter blow for families, businesses and communities. Instead of easing the cost of living or driving economic growth, the Chancellor has once again chosen to make hard-working people pay more, freezing tax thresholds after years of stealth taxes. 

Here in Ely and East Cambridgeshire, far too many families are struggling to pay their energy bills and put food on the table. Local pubs and restaurants are telling me they fear they won’t survive the winter. And farmers have shared, time and again, their very real concerns that the family farm tax could force them to close their gates after generations of working the land. Yet despite all this, the Chancellor offers nothing but higher taxes and still no credible plan for growth. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. Liberal Democrats have put forward responsible alternatives for raising revenue, including levying a temporary windfall tax on big banks and increasing the Digital Services Tax on large tech companies. I will continue to campaign for fairer funding for our public services, for a tax system that doesn’t punish working people and small businesses, and for long-term investment in growth projects such as the Ely Junction upgrade.”