Chancellor John Healey marked the conclusion of his Budget presentation with a pint at a Westminster pub, an act captured on video by Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson. The event occurred hours after Healey delivered Labour's economic outlook under the leadership of Andy Burnham.
The video shows Healey behind the bar of the Two Chairmen pub, drinking a beer named Chancellor's Choice and then inverting the glass to show it was empty. Tomlinson shared the footage on X with the caption, "The boss seeing off a pint of Chancellor's Choice after a long day at the office."
However, the celebratory moment emerged as reports indicated that households could face over £1,000 in financial setbacks within the next two years due to the ongoing energy crisis and tax measures introduced in the Budget. Ruth Curtice, chief executive of the Resolution Foundation, stated that the Budget "did little to address the sharp challenges facing Britain" and that support was inadequately distributed. Curtice described the Budget as "scattergun," highlighting the £100 energy bill rebate for homes in lower council tax bands.
She warned that recipients of this aid, along with the continued suspension of 5% VAT on electricity, would still encounter higher bills next year compared to 2022. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) also commented on the Budget, noting that its "raft of fiddly measures" were unlikely to stimulate growth and that it postponed necessary difficult decisions.
Greg Thwaites, the IFS's interim chief economist, criticized the £100 energy payment for households in council tax bands A to D as "terribly badly targeted," arguing that it would benefit many individuals who are financially stable and do not require such assistance. He suggested that it would be more effective to provide a larger sum to a smaller number of people.
In response to criticisms of the Budget being too modest, Healey defended his proposals, stating, "I'd fundamentally contest that this is not a significant Budget." Opposition figures voiced their disapproval; Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the Budget as "not good enough, not strong enough, not bold enough," while Reform UK's Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick called it a "nothing burger."
Tory peer Lord Jackson of Peterborough offered a critical assessment of Healey's pub appearance, remarking, "He looks like a bit of a wally." The beer consumed by the Chancellor was a 4% pale ale brewed by Chantry Brewery, located in Healey's constituency of Rotherham, to commemorate a reduction in business rates for pubs.