Most consumers aren’t feeling the benefits of Osborne’s recovery
George Osborne used yesterday's Budget to trumpet the government's economic record. With a dramatic fall in unemployment, respectable economic growth and low inflation, the Conservatives believe they have strong record to run on.
Osborne labelled Britain the "comeback country" and said the government had brought the UK back from the brink. But how many consumers are actually feeling the benefits of the recovery?
According to a survey of 5000 consumers' reactions by uSwitch.com, 62 per cent of people feel no better off than they did last year. Worryingly for the Tories, 65 per cent of respondents don't think the chancellor understands the financial fears of ordinary people.
Over three-quarters of people say they've seen no improvement in their living standards while more than a third say they have deteriorated. Falling petrol prices and rising wages may have eased the worst pressures on the cost of living, but half of those surveyed said they had experienced a rise in essential household bills in the last year.
However, the poll wasn't all bad news for the chancellor. The Help to Buy Isa, one of the few announcements that wasn't leaked before the Budget, was supported by 48 per cent of consumers. The increase in the personal allowance and the tax-free savings allowance also satisfied consumers 31 per cent and 42 per cent respectively.