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

Addressing a gathering in central London on Monday, he noted that the budget represented his long-standing goal to alleviate poverty, emphasizing initiatives like lifting the two-child benefit cap.

He described the proposals as containing “necessary” yet “fair” decisions, recognizing that “tax rises do make life harder for people,” while maintaining that further cuts to public services or additional borrowing had already been “tested to destruction.”

Starmer highlighted recent analyses from the Office for Budget Responsibility, which had lowered productivity projections over recent years, stating that “austerity scarred the long-term productive capability of this country.”

He stressed that the budget was intended not only to mitigate the cost of living but also to offer “security” for citizens. On 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."

Starmer elaborated: “We’re 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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