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Jeremy Corbyn accused Philip Hammond of presenting an "unfulfilled budget" which showed that cuts in public spending would continue despite the promise of Theresa May's conservative conference that the austerity period was over.
The Labor Party leader told the House of Commons that the Chancellor's statement, strewn with spending announcements aimed at satisfying various Conservative backbone campaigns, would fail to repair the damage already caused by years of budget cuts.
He criticized the government for focusing on "ideological tax cuts" by proposing, within a year, a planned increase in the personal tax – free allowance and raising it to the public. increased taxation threshold to £ 50,000. "This government is hard on the weak and weak on the strong," he said.
The Conservative backbenchers, however, overshot the budget, in which the Chancellor also announced a moderate increase in defense funding, social care, mental health and universal credit, thus addressing a large number their concerns.
A former cabinet minister told The Guardian: "As long as the budget is pushing two or three buttons for Conservative MPs, the government does not really have much to worry about. He will keep the backs online for the moment. "
In particular, ministers expressed concern that the budget should strengthen the support of its MPs for May ahead of any vote on a Brexit deal, which may further divide its rebel party.
Corbyn said his government had worsened them instead of tackling the "burning injustices" as May had promised on the steps down Downing Street.
"Austerity is not over," he told MPs. "Far from building a stronger economy, eight years of austerity have hurt our economy, delayed and weakened the recovery, and continued to correct the deficit.
"The prime minister has promised that austerity is over. It's an unfulfilled promise budget. What we have heard today are half measures and quick fixes as austerity continues to rage. Far from the hard work of the people and the sacrifices that have borne fruit … this government has wasted it by offering ideological tax cuts to the richest of our society.
"This budget will not repair the damage caused by eight years of austerity and will not begin to measure the magnitude of the work to be done to rebuild Britain."
Chancellor of the Shadow, John McDonnell, tweeted: "We have now confirmed that the commitment to end the austerity was a broken promise, as the entire budget. It is now clear that austerity is not over and that cuts in social security will continue. No new money for the daily operation of our schools, the local police and nothing for the local government. "
John McDonnell MP
(@JohnmcdonnellMP)Austerity is not over. A broken promise Budget. https://t.co/RYq2Zf34vt
Government insiders have admitted that the series of spending announcements partly aimed to reassure conservative MPs who are worried about the consequences of universal credit, Brexit and the promise made in May to put an end to austerity.
Hammond is supposed to share fears that the Prime Minister's promise to increase public spending has been interpreted too literally, putting pressure on the Treasury to announce gifts. He only said that austerity "was coming to an end".
Ministers were well aware of the need to keep private members ahead of difficult House of Commons votes on any Brexit deal. The former Brexit Minister, Steve Baker, said: "We were still expecting the budget to contribute to the conclusion of an agreement."
Dominic Grieve, one of the leading Conservative Conservatives, said he thought Hammond had done enough. "It was an excellent budget that will please people," he said.
Former Social Affairs Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, who resigned from the government after cuts in spending, praised the additional £ 1.7 billion for universal credit. "We wanted £ 2 billion, but he also intends to go back to every tax event to make sure it's properly funded. We are not completely in trouble [the former chancellor George] Osborne's malicious cuts in universal credit, but we are getting there. "
Robert Halfon, Conservative MP for Harlow, who, along with South Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen, called for rethinking the troubled welfare program, said, "It was overall good. This showed that they were listening to powerful lobbies. "
Johnny Mercer, who has campaigned for more defense funding, said Hammond's additional £ 1 billion was "good news" and meant the defense ministry could keep its plans "without the madness." cuts proposed during the year ". Tom Tugendhat, another MP and former army officer, said: "A great victory for the country."
The chief Conservative whip, Julian Smith, sitting at the seat of the government, seemed to be breaking his head several times under the direction of Nigel Dodds, the leader of the Westminster DUP, who had already threatened to vote against the budget if May crossed the red lines of Brexit, funding announcements for Northern Ireland were made.
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