Rishi Sunak's bumper giveaway Budget

In his first Budget, Rishi Sunak was in a generous mood, pledging billions to counter coronavirus, plus money for business, infrastructure, and education. Find out how much more or less you could get.

Rishi Sunak: in a generous mood © Getty
(Image credit: Rishi Sunak © Getty Images)

In his first Budget, Rishi Sunak was in a generous mood, pledging £30bn to counter the coronavirus epidemic plus money for business, infrastructure, and education.

The biggest threat to the economy right now is the coronavirus, with up to 20% of the workforce expected to be out of action and global supply chains disrupted. Building on the Bank of England’s interest-rate cut this morning, Sunak met the challenge head on. Statutory sick pay (SSP)will be paid from day one, not day four. It will be available to employees who self-isolate, even if they have no symptoms. And it will be possible to get a sick note by calling 111, rather than visiting your GP.

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Ben Judge

Ben studied modern languages at London University's Queen Mary College. After dabbling unhappily in local government finance for a while, he went to work for The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh. The launch of the paper's website, scotsman.com, in the early years of the dotcom craze, saw Ben move online to manage the Business and Motors channels before becoming deputy editor with responsibility for all aspects of online production for The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News websites, along with the papers' Edinburgh Festivals website.

Ben joined MoneyWeek as website editor in 2008, just as the Great Financial Crisis was brewing. He has written extensively for the website and magazine, with a particular emphasis on alternative finance and fintech, including blockchain and bitcoin. 

As an early adopter of bitcoin, Ben bought when the price was under $200, but went on to spend it all on foolish fripperies.