MP Tim Farron calls for general election following mini-budget u-turn 'chaos’

A Cumbria MP is calling for a general election following the reversal of nearly all of the measures outlined in the Government's mini-budget just three weeks ago.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt reversed nearly all of the the plans outlined by his predecessor Kwasi Kwarteng in an announcement on Monday, 17 October.

Tim Farron, MP for South Lakeland, said: “Let’s be clear: this emergency statement is not in response to an external crisis, a war, a pandemic or global energy prices – it’s in response to the ongoing crisis in the Conservative government.

“It also speaks volume about the Conservatives’ total disregard for rural communities like ours in Cumbria, that one of the only things that hasn’t been axed from the mini-budget is the cut in stamp duty – a measure which will fuel excessive second home ownership and the Airbnb boom that is turning our communities into ghost towns and ejecting local families.

“This chaos cannot be allowed to go on for any longer – it’s time for a general election.”

Mr Hunt has confirmed he is ditching almost all of Mr Kwarteng's mini-budget, including the planned cut to income tax as he set out plans for billions of pounds of savings to stabilise public finances in an emergency statement on Monday.

Energy bills support and will not be guaranteed from next April as part of Mr Hunt's overhaul.

The government will also scrap plans to reduce the basic rate of income tax from 20% to 19% in April next year, a move that had been forecast would cost the exchequer almost £5.3 billion in 2023-24 in a bid to bring “stability” following tumultuous weeks.

Mr Hunt said his tax cut reversals will raise some £32 billion a year as part of efforts to get the public finances back on track after market and mortgage turmoil unleashed by Mr Kwarteng's mini-budget.

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