"Things which come in one hand, get taken away by another hand. The tax man will always get it back." On a cold, grey day Nichols was enjoying a bracing walk with her partner Raymond Wise, in Hartlepool marina Both were underwhelmed as the Guardian reeled off the headlines from Jeremy Hunt's budget.
"A cut in national insurance is better than nothing," said Wise. "But everywhere you go, things are more expensive. I've got daughters and cost of childcare is like half a week's wages. decorator
"I'm a self-employed and the price of materials is just ridiculous. I used to buy paint for £60, it's now £90 since lockdown." Nichols agreed. "We sit in the cold at home, we don't put the heating on very much at all... we can't afford to."
If the Tories hope to excite voters with the budget, the evidence from Hartlepool is that they will be disappointed. But so might Labour. People said they had lost faith in all politicians.
"I don't know if Keir Starmer will be any better," said Nichols. "They all promise things but you never see it. They need a bomb up their backsides."
Another headline from the budget was a vaping tax.
Tom Curry, a 22-year-old shop worker outside vaping on his break, said he understood why it was happening and had mixed feelings.
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