MPs questioned the Chancellor on what the Government is doing to ease rising household costs in Falkirk, with Labour pointing to Budget measures such as higher minimum pay, the pension triple lock, free school meals and VAT cuts on some summer attractions. The main pressure point was whether any future help with energy bills should include working families, as concerns grow about prices later in the year.

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MPs debated whether hospitality businesses in Northern Ireland should get a special VAT cut to help them compete with the Republic of Ireland, where hospitality VAT is lower. The government said VAT must stay at one UK-wide rate and warned that a large cut would cost too much, putting the price of halving VAT for hospitality at about £11 billion.

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MPs pressed the Treasury on whether business rates are “broken” and should be scrapped, with critics arguing they are unfair because they hit turnover and property rather than profit. Ministers said they would keep the tax based on property values, point to existing corporation tax on profits, and continue targeted cuts for high street shops, pubs, bars and live music venues, while also looking at raising more revenue from large online companies.

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At Treasury questions, Rachel Reeves argued that Labour’s economic plan is bringing down inflation, supporting growth and easing living costs, while opposition MPs accused her of high taxes and heavy borrowing. The exchange also covered targeted support for ceramics, hospitality, refining, local regeneration and fraud recovery, with several ministers promising meetings, further details or a later Budget announcement rather than a full answer on the day.

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MPs questioned whether the Government’s temporary VAT cut for attractions is enough to support tourism businesses, as Conservatives argued higher taxes could deter visitors; the Minister said the sector was being backed and committed only to increasing visitor numbers, without recommitting to the 50 million international visitors target by 2030.

The Government was challenged to end VAT charges on medicines supplied free through compassionate use and early-access schemes, amid warnings that uncertainty is deterring companies and could deny patients treatment; ministers said the rules are long-standing, enforcement issues are being reviewed with the Treasury and HMRC, and no decision has been made.