Budget 2026 latest: Chancellor Healey to cut food costs in bid to deliver ‘everyday fixes’

Products included in the chancellor's tariff cuts: Garlic Gherkins Citrus jams, marmalades and pastes Throat pastilles and cough drops Boiled sweets Toffees, caramels and similar sweets Plant-based beverages Chocolate -coated waffles/wafers Kerosene Fertilisers Dan Haygarth 27 October 2026 00:30 Healey should move focus to cheap power over net zero at Budget, Blair says Chancellor John Healey should use the Budget to change the focus of Britain’s energy strategy from net zero to providing a cheap supply to consumers, Sir Tony Blair’s influential think tank has said. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) also said the Government should use its forthcoming 10-year plan to lay out a series of reforms aimed at making energy cheaper in the UK. Energy prices in Britain are among some of the highest in Europe, and the G7 group of countries, in part because of a significant dependence on natural gas, which often sets the overall price of electricity.

Gas prices have risen because of the wars in Iran and Ukraine, which has had a knock-on effect on energy prices. In its latest report, released on the eve of the Budget, Sir Tony’s think tank has said the Government should replace its Clean Power 2030 strategy, which aims to decarbonise the grid, with a new “cheaper power mission”, the central aim of which is to bring down the price of energy. The Budget could be the start of this, the TBI said, by introducing a programme which rewards businesses which use electricity at off-peak times, and in areas which do not place huge demand on the power system.

Dan Haygarth 26 October 2026 23:30 Burnham opens up biggest lead since general election after 100 days in office Labour continues to increase its lead in the polls as the party sees its highest ratings of this parliament, according to a new survey. The latest figures from Ipsos show that Andy Burnham’s party is now eight points clear of the Conservatives for voting intention, at 32 points to 24. Reform UK is placed third on 20 points in the poll.

Read more: Dan Haygarth 26 October 2026 22:30

Source: The Independent