GovWire

Its always great to be here in Birmingham. A city that is at the heart, not just of our country but also - our plans for growth - as we announced two weeks ago 500m worth of new investment in battery storage will create the jobs of the future right here. And thats a snapshot of the Britain we are building this week and beyond.

Our economy stabilised.

The foundations fixed.

Hope in the future restored.

Another step taken on the long, difficult, but resolute path that wewillwalk.

Towards a Britain returned to the service of working people.

I said on the steps of Downing Street the day after the election that this would be a government for the working people of this country.

That, when the cameras stopped rolling. When that black door closed. We would carry their hopes and aspirations with us.

That the basic, completely reasonable desire to want a better future for your family. That would become the driving purpose of this Government.

Now, I will never stand here and tell you to feel better, if you dont. And I will never ask you to feel grateful for what you should expect as a given.

Trust in my project to return Britain to the service of working people can only be earned through actions not words:Change must be felt.

But every decision we have made. Every decision that we will make in the future will be made with working people in our minds eye. People who have been working harder and harder for years, just to stand still.

People doing the right thing maybe still finding a little bit of money to put away. Paying their way even in the cost-of-living crisis but who feel this country no longer gives them or their children a fair chance.

People stuck on an NHS waiting list whose town centre is blighted by anti-social behaviour who cant afford to buy a place they call home or cant afford the home they have, because of the mortgage bombshell.

And people who feel ignored as their lives, no matter how hard they work slide into greater insecurity. Scared of the postman coming down the path - will it be another bill I cant afford?

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I know some people want to have a debate about this and I know there will always be the exception that proves the rule. Welcome to the wonders of a diverse country!

But I also know that the working people of this country know exactly who they are and that - they are the golden thread that runs through our agenda. Every single one of our national missions is about deliveringfor them.

And we are getting on with the job. Thats why we reformed planning rules to get Britain building again - restore the dream of home ownership.

Its why we ended junior doctor strikes to lift the pressure on our NHS. Start cutting waiting lists.

Its why we stopped the riots with tough sentences for violent thugs.

Launched a Border Security Command to smash the people-smugglers.

Switched on Great British Energy to get Putins boot off our throat. Make our country more secure. Create good jobs right across the country.

And its also why weve started the work of changing our economy. Stabilising it. Fixing its foundations.

But also changing how it worksfor them. An employment bill that will finally make work pay. That will contribute to growthandraise living standards for working people. A direct response to the cost-of-living crisis, we were elected to tackle for them. Because let me tell you, it is working people who pay the price when their Government fails to deliver economic stability. Theyve had enough of slow growth, stagnant living standards and crumbling public services.

They know that austerity is no solution. And theyve seen the chaos when politicians let borrowing get out of control.

We choose a different path. Honest, responsible, long-term decisions in the interests of working people.

Because its stability that means we can invest. And reform that will maximise that investment. 63 billion worth of investment secured from business two weeks ago - a record-breaking show of confidence in our plan for growth.

Thats investment that will create tens of thousands of jobs. Good jobs in every corner of the country.

I know some people will recoil when we say we have to take the tough decisions needed to fix the foundations.

This doesnt happen by accident its because business can see we are fixing the foundations. Everyone who finds damp in their house know they have a decision. Paint over it or strip it out, pull off the plaster, deal with it once and for all.

So, I will defend our tough decisions all day long.

Its the right thing for our country. The only way you get the investment we need. Stability. Investment. Reform.

That is how we fix the NHS, rebuild Britain, and protect the payslips of working people, delivering on our mandate of change.

Thats what the Budget this week will be about. Its what every week of this Government will be about.

A Budget for working people, from a government for working people. Because returning Britain to their service, thats our fundamental cause - and it never changes.

It will also be the first budget delivered by a woman ever.That is a moment of pride. That is a moment of pride. When Rachel Reeves stands up she will be making history - young women and girls will watching across the country. Theywilllook up and they will notice.

It will also be a Budget which will show to the British people that we wont be distracted from our task.

We will stick to our long-term plan. Run towards the tough decisions, rip-off the short-term sticking plasters, so we can lead our country finally but decisively out of this pay-more, get less doom-loop [political content removed].

Of course there will still be tough decisions. Rebuilding Britain and delivering growth, that will take the skills and effort of all of us.

That is why this Budget will also Get Britain Working. It will pave the way for reforms that tackle the root causes of economic inactivity, make sure - that those who can work, do work.

[Political content removed] we will always help those who cannot support themselves, but the UK is the only G7 country where economic inactivity is still higher than it was before Covid.

That is not just bad for our economy, its also bad for all those who are locked out of opportunity. So the Chancellor will announce 240 million in funding to provide local services that can help people back into work, and the dignity it brings.

A Britain that works for working people. With all those whocan, playing their part.

We will also be ruthless in clamping down on government waste, just as we will be ruthless on clamping down on tax avoidance, so the British people that every penny counts.

Every single person in this country had to do that during the cost-of-living crisis and government must be no different.

And frankly, when were asking broader shoulders to carry a higher burden on tax, that determination to be more productive and efficient in government, thats the very least their contribution deserves.

Look - nobody wants higher taxes, just like nobody wants public spending cuts. But we have to be realistic about where we are as a country. This is not 1997, when the economy was decent but public services were on their knees. And its not 2010, where public services were strong, but the public finances were weak. We have to deal with both sides of that coin.

These are unprecedented circumstances, but the budget the Chancellor will deliver on Wednesday, will prevent devastating austerity in our public services and prevent a disastrous path for our public finances.

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And yes - thingsareworse than we could possibly have expected during the election - the Budget will set that out very clearly.

I mean just look at the state of our prisons last week.

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On Rwanda, asylum hotels, propping up failing train companies [Political content removed] . An economy riddled with weakness on productivity and investment. A state that needs urgent modernisation to face down the challenge of a volatile world.

A country where people dont just lack faith in politicians to fix any of this but also wonder - whether Britain can. Whether we still have the resources to move forward or whether decline is now an incurable disease.

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I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with this. I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with it. Politics is always a choice. So we wont hide from our decisions on Wednesday or for that matter, any day.

Besides, as I said two weeks ago at our International Investment Summit we have huge assets in this country. Leading positions in the industries of the future:

Clean energy, artificial intelligence, life sciences, the creative industries, a technology sector that is the envy of Europe. A heritage steeped in science, trade and innovation. Andvalues. Values deep in the bones of this nation and which say, to the world this country is open for business. This country respects diversity and difference under the same flag.

We arestillthe country, known all around the world for our pragmatism and our creativity, the ingenuity and industry of our people and so if we do grasp the nettle on our economy, if we do fix those foundations, stick to those val

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