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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Rory Sullivan

Budget 2021 – live: Universal Credit uplift ‘must be extended further’ as loyalists walk away from Good Friday

Photograph: PA
Today's daily politics briefing

The EU has shelved plans to approve the Brexit deal because it believes the UK has “violated” the agreement.

The decision comes after the UK said it would extend grace periods for Irish Sea border checks to help British businesses. 

“The conference of presidents this morning decided not to agree a date to ratify the TCA, pending developments yesterday,” one EU source toldThe Independent.

Elsewhere, the chancellor’s decision to cut £16bn from public spending has been criticised, with the director of the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank saying it will cause “real additional pain”,

Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday that a further £4bn would be cut, following the £12bn reduction he outlined in last year’s spending review.

IFS director Paul Johnson said the spending figures look “implausibly low”, adding that he would bet against them being achieved.

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