John Healey will suspend import tariffs on more than 100 products including marmalade and gherkins ahead of Wednesday's Budget, seeking to reduce pressure on household costs. The government estimates the tariff removals could save families up to £21 per year when combined with existing suspensions on items like pasta, fruit juice and tuna.
Marmalade will have its 20% tariff and additional £19 per 100kg import charge suspended. Healey attributed higher everyday costs to ongoing wars in Iran and Ukraine, saying the government would act "where we can make a difference."
The package includes several additional measures. Tax-free mileage rates for work driving will increase to 55p per mile for the first 10,000 miles and 35p above that, made permanent. The carer's allowance "cliff-edge" will end, replaced with a taper mechanism allowing carers to earn more without losing their entire payment. Self-employed fathers will receive two weeks of paternity pay worth up to £194 weekly. The government will also roll out additional Post Office drop boxes and freeze fuel duty, continuing a 5p discount first introduced in 2022.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham framed the measures as tackling "everyday problems" for nurses, parents and unpaid carers. He said the changes would "put more money back in your pocket."
The Conservative Party rejected the announcement. Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith called the offer of cheaper gherkins "an insult to families hammered by Labour's tax rises," arguing the measures have been "wiped out by higher borrowing costs, taxes and inflation."