Budget 2014

Today I set out my Budget for building a resilient economy. It is part of our long-term economic plan - a plan that is delivering economic security for families up and down the country. We have come a long way. The independent forecasts show growth is up, jobs are up, and the deficit is down. But the job is far from done. I haven't shied away from telling the British people about the difficult decisions we face. And just because things are getting better now, I haven't shied away from it today either. The deficit is down by a third, and in the coming year it will be down by a half. But it is still one of the highest in the world - so we are taking action to bring the deficit down further. Investment and exports are up. But we've got twenty years of catching up to do - so I have backed businesses who invest and export. Manufacturing halved under Labour, with all bets on the City of London. But manufacturing is growing again, and jobs are being created across the country - and we're doing everything we can to support that. And while as a nation we're getting on top of our debts, for many decades Britain has borrowed too much and saved too little. So today, I have made sure hardworking people keep more of what they earn - and of what they save. Support for savers is at the centre of this Budget. With the help of the British people we're turning the economy around. Our goal is economic security for the families of Britain - and today, with this Budget, we take another step towards it.