What the Budget means to us

Upset: Dominic Ceraldi, with wife Paula and son Calum, said he lost faith in Labour

The Standard asks five people who will be affected by the Budget in different ways whether Labour can still be trusted with the economy...

Young family

Dominic Ceraldi, 38, personnel manager for Pimlico Plumbers, his wife Paula, 38, son Calum, four
Home: two-bedroom flat in Waterloo
Annual income: £45,000
Monthly outgoings: £500 rent, £700 food, bills, travel

Has Labour done enough in the Budget to get your vote? Fuel duty going up is a bit of a blow as we have already gone from two cars to one and may even have to get rid of that because of the cost.

There is no surprise that alcohol has gone up, which means we will be going out even less, but the stamp duty holiday is a big bonus as we are looking to buy a property in the next 12 months and that will really help.

Obviously there is an election coming up, but I felt fairly positive about the Budget. Darling sounds like an accountant rather than a politician, which makes him more believable.

Can Labour still be trusted with the economy? I was brought up a staunch Labourite but have lost faith in them. The cost of living has gone up so much. The MPs' expenses scandal has upset a lot of people, but the banking crisis was even worse. The voters saved the economy, not the Government.

High earner

Bhanu Choudrie
Punishing: Bhanu Choudrie
Bhanu Choudhrie, 32, director of investment strategy for C&C Alpha Group in Pimlico, and philanthropist
Home: £15 million home in Chelsea
Annual income: More than £1 million
Monthly outgoings: About £50,000 including travel, charity donations and staff costs

Has Labour done enough in the Budget to get your vote? This is a complete election Budget, all we heard was taxes, taxes, taxes.

The increase in stamp duty for houses over £1 million is terrible because it not only affects me, but a large portion of the population as house prices go up. Also, from next month I will be paying 50 per cent tax — they are punishing people who are contributing to this country.

This Budget wasn't enough for Labour to get my vote.

Can Labour still be trusted with the economy? In the past Labour have done a good job keeping the economy and business community coming to the UK but now everybody around the world has suffered. Since the downturn, the UK has been hit hard compared with other EU countries. We could be in a worse situation, but the Government can do better. We all need to trust our government.

Small business

Sandeep Patel
Trust: Sandeep Patel
Premier FX Investing (training company for City traders) in Canary Wharf
Director: Sandeep Patel, 33
Staff: Eight full-time
Anticipated annual turnover: £1 million
Annual operating profit: £200,000

Has Labour done enough in the Budget to get your vote? I've not voted Labour before and the Budget hasn't convinced me. There was a bit there for small businesses, but it was more of a politically focused Budget.

There were not any new ideas about how to reduce the deficit. London is still ahead of New York as the financial centre of the world because it has the diversity.

What we need is new creative ideas and I didn't see any today. The additional one per cent on National Insurance is going to have an impact on hiring. We have a £178 billion deficit and that's got to come from tax rises or spending cuts.

Can Labour still be trusted with the economy? Labour have been wasteful with spending. I don't think the recession is their fault because it has happened all over the world, but we've seen banks back on big bonuses and the strong influence of unions on Labour and it leaves a bitter taste in the electorate's mouth. People are sick of the Labour Government. Other parties have got trust to gain too, but Labour has been in power for three terms.

Medium earner

Rosalie Marshall
Waste: Rosalie Marshall
Rosalie Marshall, 26, technology journalist and expectant mother
Home: three-bedroom flat in Belsize Park, rented at reduced rate from friend
Annual income: £25,000-£35,000
Monthly outgoings: £300 rent, £200 food, bills and travel

Has Labour done enough in the Budget to get your vote? They have had so much time, but nothing really seems to have been done. They have been promising so many things but they don't seem to follow them through.

The stamp duty limit being increased is a good thing. As a policy it is good if it works, especially as I might be looking to buy soon. But I have just lost trust with Labour. Maybe it is time for a new party to change things.

There are a number of things in the budget that will appeal to voters. But for me they are not transparent and they have wasted so much money already. It is too late.

Can Labour still be trusted with the economy? Absolutely not. They have put through huge, money-wasting programmes such as the NHS IT system and CCTV cameras everywhere. They have had enough time to sort out problems, and this is not going to convince me.


Clementine Forfar
Promises: Clementine Forfar
Clementine Forfar, 25, resigned from a job in music retail in the past month to work as a freelance
Home: A shared rented house in East Finchley
Income: Living on her savings
Monthly outgoings: £700 for rent, food, travel and utility bills

Has Labour done enough in the Budget to get your vote? I wanted to see more money for job training and helping jobseekers.

The extension of the Jobs Guarantee Scheme to March 2012 isn't enough because it doesn't make any difference and any other party would have done it. They should subsidise apprenticeships to stop some professions being so elitist and to allow people without experience to learn without being crippled financially.

The Budget did not offer enough to get my vote.

Can Labour still be trusted with the economy? No, because they make promises they cannot keep. For example, they promised education for all and then put up university fees. A lot of what the party stands for is irrelevant now because so much has changed since the start of the recession. They need to admit that they were wrong, but they won't.


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