Anglia Late Edition - March 2023

Watch the latest Anglia Late Edition - the regional politics programme covering issues affecting the East of England presented by Political Correspondent Emma Hutchinson

This programme was transmitted in the ITV Anglia region on Thursday 16 March 2023

Anglia Late Edition takes in reaction to the Spring Budget, looks at the latest wave of strikes and discusses if schools teach enough about suicide awareness.

It has been 16 months since the last Budget and Jeremy Hunt is the third Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer in that time.

Mr Hunt unveiled a "back to work" Budget which he claims will stimulate economic growth.

The government's headline announcements included a major expansion of free childcare, keeping the energy price cap, scrap limits to the size of pension pots and benefits overhauls.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt unveiled his first Budget on Wednesday

The Conservatives hope Mr Hunt's Budget measures will smooth the path to employment for the 'economically inactive' - targeting over-50s, long-term sick and disabled people, and benefits claimants.

Thousands of striking workers calling for better pay and conditions formed the backdrop to Mr Hunt's announcement on Wednesday, as the government faces pressure to soothe the pain of the soaring cost of living, and tame rising inflation and energy bills.

Budget 2023: The key takeaways - from free childcare to energy bills cap
Hunt 'prioritised richest 1% over struggling families', Starmer says
Labour vows to reverse Hunt’s ‘gilded giveaway’ to wealthy pensions savers

ITV News Anglia's Political Correspondent Emma Hutchinson was joined on the programme by two senior politicians to debate the issues affecting the East of England.

  • Thérèse Coffey MP has been the Conservative MP for Suffolk Coast since 2010. She is currently the Environment Secretary after a brief stint as Deputy Prime Minister in Liz Truss' short-lived government

  • Baroness Angela Smith is Labour's leader in the House of Lords. She was the MP for Basildon from 1997 until 2010.

Cabinet minister Thérèse Coffey and Shadow Leader of the House of Lords Baroness Angela Smith joined Emma Hutchinson on Anglia Late Edition Credit: ITV Anglia

Anglia Late Edition also reported on the suicide awareness campaign led by the 3 Dads Walking - three fathers of young daughters who took their own lives.

Among the three is Tim Owen from Shouldham in Norfolk who lost his daughter in 2020 when she was 19.

The 3 Dads Walking are campaigning for the National Curriculum in schools to include suicide prevention. They raised a petition with 160,000 signatures to get the issue debated in parliament on Monday 13 March 2023.

Tim Owen from Norfolk is one of the 3 Dads Walking. His daughter Emily took her own life in 2020 Credit: ITV News

After the debate Tim Owen said: "It was really heartening to see them all agreeing.

"There was no one saying we shouldn't put suicide prevention in the school curriculum.

"We knew the government weren't going to commit to anything tonight, but it was really good to hear them commit to reviewing the curriculum immediately."

MP breaks down as suicide prevention awareness debated

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