Sir Geoffrey Clifton Brown, Member of Parliament for the North Cotswolds, replied to the Budget yesterday.

“I was pleased to see money put towards SEND funding and rebuilding of schools and hospitals. However, this budget will not be popular with my constituents and will affect all people, not just working people.

“The Chancellor has increased taxes to £40billion, and the national debt of £2.5 trillion has never been higher. The interest alone is over £100 million per year, and is equivalent to the fifth largest single Government department.

“This will have a lasting effect on our children and grandchildren who will now be saddled with this debt for longer which they will have to repay.

“I am also disappointed in the hike in national insurance contributions for employers. This will hit any business in my constituency employing more than 4 people, and many have warned that this will lead to lower pay in the private sector in the future.

“The cut to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief is incredibly destructive. I know many in the farming community will be very worried about the future as ­many will now face a 20% tax. I fear this will lead to loss of jobs and livelihoods in the area, and will change the fabric of our countryside permanently because inevitably farms will have to be sold and split up.

“I again took my chance to raise the reintroduction of tax free shopping with the Treasury. The reintroduction of this policy has the potential to increase growth considerably, brining an estimated £10 billion annually in foreign spending. There has been further research that shows short haul EU visitors would spend 50% of their outgoings outside London, and providing a £5 billion annual boost to regions and their airports. I urged the Chancellor to relook at the forecasts, and take the cost free decision to boost our economy.

“I also reminded the front bench of the importance of getting value for money for the taxpayer. In my role as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, we will be scrutinising their investment announcements rigorously, ensuring that we obtain the best value for money from almost £1.3 trillion of total managed expenditure this year.”