In a series of interventions in recent months, Stuart has shown how rural and farming communities are being systematically neglected by government policies in areas such as youth unemployment, economic growth, and food production.
However, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves is poised to deliver a stripped-back budget when she responds to the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) latest economic forecasts on 3rd March 2025 - indicating that there is limited opportunity to address these issues.
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves is poised to deliver a “minimalist” spring statement
- However, Stuart has said previous fiscal events have inflicted pain and chaos.
- Over the last two years, businesses have been put under immense pressure.
- Stuart has called for more support to restart growth in the rural economy.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“In her Spring Economic Statement on 3rd March 2025, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves has the opportunity to tackle urgent issues affecting residents in South Shropshire - including the crisis in youth unemployment, stagnating economic growth, and insufficient support for our farmers. However, media reports suggest that she poised to deliver a stripped-back statement that hardly contains any details at all. Businesses in South Shropshire are desperate for support as they have been crippled by historic tax hikes and the withdrawal of much-needed support. The Chancellor’s previous fiscal events have inflicted chaos on businesses and communities across the country, hitting rural areas particularly hard. She must use this opportunity to address the rural productivity gap and announce how she aims to restart economic growth in the rural economy.”
Stuart Anderson MP has urged the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to deliver more support for rural communities when she delivers her Spring Statement on 3rd March 2026. It is part of his long-term campaign to close the rural productivity gap. This refers to the fact that overall productivity in most rural areas is typically lower than urban areas and is only 82% of the average for England - excluding London. Productivity, earnings, and access to employment opportunities remains a barrier.
Stuart's intervention comes as the Bank of England’s Chief Economist Huw Pill warns that increases to minimum wage rates and payroll tax have had a particular effect on young people’s jobs prospects - with youth unemployment hitting its highest rate in more than a decade outside COVID-19 at the end of 2025. Separately, economists at JP Morgan have predicted that two million people will soon be jobless in Britain, as unemployment is forecast to soar to 5.5 per cent by the Spring.
Stuart has said that businesses in South Shropshire are still reeling from the £25 billion hike in employer’s National Insurance Contributions (NICs) that came into effect last April. Last year, the Chancellor hiked taxes by a further £26 billion - pushing the tax burden to a historic high. Job losses have been heaviest in the hospitality, retail, and leisure sectors. The Office for National Statistics Business Insight Survey found that trading revenue declined for a third of businesses in January.
In response to this situation, Stuart has said that the Chancellor must seize the opportunity to deliver more support for rural businesses and keep the freeze on fuel duty. Stuart has also called for more employment support, as the claimant rate in South Shropshire continues to climb. In January 2026, there were 1,170 people claiming unemployment-related benefits in South Shropshire, which is equivalent to 2.2% of the working aged population. This number has risen over the last month by 60 people - the single biggest jump in recent months.
