Autumn Budget 2026 live updates: John Healey hosts Martin Lewis at no 11 and scraps standing gas bill charges

Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of leaving Britain 'overspent, overborrowed, overtaxed' as Chancellor John Healey unveiled a tax raid on savers, landlords and banks to fund cost of living relief in his first Autumn Budget.

Mr Healey announced a £100 energy payment for 20million households, a 3.9 per cent rise in the minimum wage and an extension of the 5p fuel duty cut.

But he also confirmed a two percentage point rise in taxes on savings and property income, alongside a temporary levy on banks.

The Tory leader blasted the Budget as 'not good enough, not strong enough, not bold enough', accusing Labour of being 'addicted to welfare'.

Read the Daily Mail's coverage below.

Key Updates

WATCH: Simon Lambert: The Budget explained - What it means for you

WATCH: Claire Ellicott: 'This was a Budget for tinkering around edges'

Autumn Budget 2026: Everything you need to know from John Healey's announcements

From energy bill handouts to a tax raid on savers, here are the key announcements:

Energy bills: Around 20 million households in council tax bands A to D will receive a £100 payment towards their energy bills, while gas standing charges will be abolished next year.
Tax raid on savers and landlords: Taxes on savings and property income will rise by two percentage points.
Income tax: Tax thresholds will remain frozen, meaning more workers could be dragged into higher tax bands as wages rise.
Minimum wage: The National Living Wage will rise by 3.9 per cent to more than £13 an hour.
Fuel duty: The 5p cut in fuel duty has been extended until July.
Defence: Extra £10billion in economic and military support for Ukraine and a plan for reaching defence spending 3% of GDP by 2030.
Cash ISAs: The £20,000 annual allowance will be protected, with plans for a new Starter ISA.
Banks: A temporary 3 per cent levy will be imposed on banks for 15 months from January.
First-time buyers: A new £4.7billion equity loan scheme will help people onto the property ladder, while the Lifetime ISA will be replaced.
Housebuilding: An extra £1.5billion has been pledged for affordable and social housing, alongside VAT relief on land sold to social housing providers.
Small businesses: The threshold for Small Business Rate Relief will rise from £12,000 to £18,000 for eligible retail, hospitality and leisure firms.
Welfare: The Chancellor promised reforms to the Motability scheme and tighter rules for people living overseas who access UK state pensions.
Investment: Billions more will be made available through the National Wealth Fund and British Business Bank, alongside funding for regeneration projects across Britain.
Public finances: Mr Healey pledged to eliminate the current budget deficit within three years, with £22billion of fiscal headroom forecast by 2030-31.

Watch: John Healey hits banks in Budget to offer 'breathing space'

The Chancellor sinks a pint after his first budget day

John Healey was seen downing a pint following his first budget as Chancellor.

Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson shared the video on social media.

"Investment in our nation's defence and security cannot be kicked into the long grass"

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, chair of the Defence Committee, warned that there could be a 'cost to inaction' over key decisions on defence spending.

Reacting to the budget, Dhesi said his committee had "hoped to see the chancellor set out a precise pathway" today and that instead, some "key decisions on defence spending have been lamentably delayed".

He told Sky News:

There is a cost to inaction. Investment in our nation's defence and security cannot be kicked into the long grass. Our adversaries are not bound by fiscal years and spending cycles.

Andy Burnham reacts to Council Tax Band checker crashing

The Prime Minister has reacted online to the Government's Council Tax Band Checker crashing following the budget announcement.

Those in bands A to D will be eligible for a £100 cash payment.

How did leaders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland react?

Wales

First Minister and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said Wales needs 'far more than a temporary fix'.

He added:

For decades, our economy has been at an unfair disadvantage. An outdated funding formula, a lack of meaningful fiscal levers and policy driven from and for the city of London never has and never will never work for Wales.

Scotland

The Budget "completely fails to meet the moment," First Minister John Swinney says.

He added:

We will replicate the £100 support for fuel bills, but the UK Government has failed to cut energy bills by £300 as promised.
The Budget also betrays carbon capture in Scotland, and will cut the Scottish Government's budget by around £650 million next year.
Yet again, Scotland has been treated as an afterthought.

Northern Ireland

Stormont Finance Minister John O'Dowd says the Budget will be of "cold comfort to workers and families facing cost of living pressures".

He says the financial package currently being offered by Westminster leaves a "significant gap" and additional investment was urgently needed in areas such as critical infrastructure and social housing.