In a significant move to address the UK's cost-of-living crisis, Chancellor Rachel Reeves has delivered a Budget that trade unions are heralding as a decisive break from fourteen years of Conservative economic policy.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak, writing exclusively, praised the measures which he stated would provide urgent relief to millions of hard-pressed households across Britain.
Immediate Relief for Working Families
The Chancellor's announcement didn't just promise help; it enacted concrete policies designed to put money back into people's pockets. Two key measures are set to make a tangible difference: a direct intervention to bring down soaring energy bills and an increase to the national minimum wage that will outpace inflation.
For families who have spent years meticulously watching their finances, these changes represent a vital lifeline. However, the most impactful moment, according to Nowak, was the decision to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap.
A Moral Victory: Scrapping the Two-Child Cap
With this single policy shift, the Chancellor has effectively lifted hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty. Nowak described this not merely as a fiscal adjustment but as a moral victory.
This paper, alongside trade unions and anti-poverty campaigners, had long campaigned for this change, facing resistance from the previous Tory government. Rachel Reeves, in contrast, listened and acted, Nowak emphasised.
The consequences are profound. For the children affected, this policy change means more reliable meals, a warmer home, and a fairer start in life—outcomes that far outweigh any political debate.
Turning the Page on a 'Bleak Tory Era'
The Budget's provisions are structured to ensure that the wealthiest contribute more, while support is disproportionately directed towards low- and middle-income households who have borne the brunt of the last decade and a half.
Nowak was scathing in his assessment of the Conservative legacy, stating that fourteen years of their governance took a wrecking ball to living standards. He cited squeezed pay packets, soaring child poverty, and public services cut to the bone as hallmarks of that era. This Budget, he argues, is the first step in turning the page on that long, bleak chapter.
Yet, he concedes that Britain's recovery requires more than a single Budget. It demands a relentless, long-term focus on affordability, living standards, and making work pay. This means investing in young people, rebuilding public services, and creating quality jobs across the country.
Nowak concludes that by taxing wealth more fairly and maintaining this course, the government can prove it is firmly on the side of working people and finally begin rebuilding after what he termed 14 wasted years.
