(MENAFN) British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed his wholehearted support for last week’s budget, praising the fiscal plan presented by Chancellor Rachel Reeves as a “moment of personal pride.”

Addressing an audience in central London on Monday, Starmer emphasized that the budget mirrored his longstanding goal of alleviating poverty.

He particularly highlighted initiatives such as lifting the two-child benefit cap as key measures in achieving this aim.

He described the proposals as “necessary” but also “fair” decisions, recognizing that “tax rises do make life harder for people,” while arguing that further reductions in public services or increased borrowing had already been “tested to destruction.”

Referring to recent analyses from the Office for Budget Responsibility, which revised downward productivity estimates for the past several years, Starmer noted that “austerity scarred the long-term productive capability of this country.”

Starmer stressed that the budget was crafted not only to mitigate the cost of living but also to deliver “security” to citizens.

On the topic of economic expansion, he remarked: “When it comes to economic growth, better living standards, we’re confident we can beat the forecasts. We’ve already beaten them this year. We are in control of our future. We’ve already struck trade deals. They’re attracting billions of pounds of investment."

He added that the government is actively “removing barriers to business right across the economy in planning, industrial policy, pension reform, artificial intelligence, capital investment and right at the heart of the budget we have a package of measures to keep the green light for the world’s best entrepreneurs.”

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