Coronavirus budget backs the NHS ‘whatever the cost’. Will the government be able to deliver?

<p>The new Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, has delivered the conservative government’s <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/budget-day-2020-rishi-sunak-treasury-live-a4384071.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">new budget</a>. As the NHS prepares for the spread of coronavirus, the chancellor promised<a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/rishi-sunak-budget-speech-coronavirus-emergency-funding-business-rates-a4384691.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> the government’s full support ‘whatever the cost’</a>. He also announced plans to raise the National Insurance threshold and pledged money to help flood-hit regions. Economist Stephen King joins The Leader podcast to break down the budget – did Mr. Sunak live up<a href="https://podfollow.com/the-leader/episode/7b93eb5354fde257b087a20766f6d9edb21a0686" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> to Stephen’s call to act like a ‘war-time chancellor’</a>?</p><br><p>Even before the budget, banks and businesses had already started preparing for the impact of Covid-19.&nbsp;Restaurants and shops are reporting a decline in footfall, and the discounts to attract customers have already begun.&nbsp;On Wednesday the Bank of England’s governor, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/business/carney-orders-banks-don-t-waste-our-emergency-cash-on-bonuses-a4384491.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mark Carney, cut the interest rate to 0.25%</a> in an attempt to keep people spending. The Leader podcast spoke to the Evening Standard’s consumer business editor Jonathan Prynn to discuss whether the interest rate cut will make a difference – and what it means for you.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>