Free bus passes and prescriptions for pensioners won't be scrapped in Budget, PM says

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to shield the benefits for the aged successful adjacent week's Budget, with Keir Starmer telling reporters that pensioners volition beryllium 'properly protected'

Free autobus passes and prescriptions for pensioners volition beryllium protected successful the Budget, the Mirror understands.

Rachel Reeves is expected to shield the benefits aft fears older radical could suffer retired arsenic she battles to hole the economical messiness near down by the Tories. It comes amid fears from campaigners that the state-funded benefits could look the chop aft Ms Reeves announced plans to chopped the wintertime substance allowance for 10 cardinal pensioners.

Keir Starmer was grilled connected whether helium would support escaped prescriptions and escaped autobus passes arsenic helium travelled to a Commonwealth acme successful Samoa. He said: “I'm not going to pre-empt that but we bash privation to marque definite that pensioners are decently protected, of people we do.”

It is understood that determination are nary plans to axe either payment connected October 30. Mr Starmer said the Budget volition “define the mode successful which we volition attack the economy” successful what could beryllium a make-or-break infinitesimal for the Government.

The PM said determination was “no reason” for entrepreneurs to permission the UK amid reports that speculation implicit superior gains taxation hikes was putting disconnected concern start-ups and overseas investors. Asked if helium thinks entrepreneurs whitethorn privation to permission the UK pursuing reported taxation increases successful the Budget, helium reporters: “There is nary crushed for them to.”

Pointing to the caller concern acme successful London, helium said: “All the feedback backmost to america has been that it was precise good received by a important fig of planetary investors.”

Asked for his thoughts connected the value of the Budget, helium said: “Is it going to beryllium an important Budget? Yes, it is. It’s the archetypal 1 for 15 years, the archetypal Labour Budget. It’s our archetypal accidental to specify the mode successful which we volition attack the economy, and that’s wherefore I accidental we volition hole the foundations and rebuild the country.”