Chancellor must tackle dual micro and macroeconomic challenges - The Yorkshire Post says

We live in a country where the number of people relying on food banks is increasing. Food banks were not supposed to be the crutch that perennially props up parts of a population in a developed economy.

Pensioners are choosing between heating and eating, while energy companies rake in unexpected profits.

The Chancellor will have to strike a fine balance between ensuring the most vulnerable in society don’t get overlooked while also tackling macroeconomic challenges the country faces.

Mr Hunt has a real opportunity to help set the country on the course for future prosperity.

It is clear that we are sailing towards a bleak economic horizon but policies put in place now can help ease the pain on the nation’s population and businesses.

But the Chancellor must look beyond the short and medium term economic challenges we face. Instead he should be bold enough to regear the economy so that it is no longer business as usual.

It should be a Budget that sets out a course where regions aren’t a drag on the economy but instead a vital part of the country’s collective success.

A key tenet should be an emphasis on skills. We have seen first-hand following the pandemic the importance of skills and experience.

A lot of older people, who have left the workforce, may never return again, despite the Chancellor’s hopes to entice them back into the labour pool. That is why the country needs to bet on younger generations. And they need to be equipped with skills that will helped much needed economic growth.