'I give up, they haven't got a clue!': Voters give their verdict on John Healey's 'is that it?' Budget

It has been dubbed the 'Gherkin Budget' after Chancellor John Healey lopped a few pennies off the food shop, while spending billions on benefits.Mr Healey also pushed taxes up to a record high and avoided making any tough decisions on increasing defence spending.And voters have been withering in their criticism of Labour's feeble efforts to tackle the cost-of-living crisis - concluding Andy Burnham's government 'haven't got a clue'. One disgruntled Brit told the Daily Mail: 'I don't think anyone in the Labour government is financially literate.' Jeffery Runciman, 81, said the Prime Minister was 'just giving a load of giveaways to prepare for an election' - despite Mr Burnham yesterday promising to not call a snap election in the next 12 months.The Londoner joked: 'When they started off by saying congratulations to the previous chancellor, I thought, "oh, God, here we go".'And then it was just a series of giveaways, seemingly, which can only mean one thing. I mean, they can't afford any giveaways, but they're doing it for one reason: An election, I think.'I give up with it all. I don't think they've got a clue how to run the economy. Reverse everything that Rachel Reeves did, and that might be a start.' Chancellor John Healey holds up the traditional red ministerial box outside No 11 Downing Street before departing to the House of Commons to deliver the first budget Jeffery Runciman, 81, said: 'I give up with it all. I don't think they've got a clue how to run the economy. Reverse everything that Rachel Reeves did, and that might be a start.'Joel Defries said: 'I don't think any budget can give a massive difference with where we are at. What can you do in this situation?'Alan Moffatt, 67, accused the Chancellor of neglecting to care for pensioners on the old State Pension system, who had missed out on previous financial support packages.He was also worried that the £100 rebate to 20 million homes in council tax bands A to D to help offset soaring energy bills this winter would not go towards pensioners who are already getting £200 towards these bills.Mr Moffatt, from Merseyside, said: 'The first thing I did notice was that - I was born before 1951 so I'm on the 'old pension', but people born after 1951 get some £60 more than me in pensions - and now they're getting a tax break. I have had to work to make up for the shorter pension that they're getting and I won't get that tax break.'I think Burnham could have increased the tax allowance back up to higher than it is at the moment, has been for, what, 5 years? But he has constraints.'He only has limited amounts of money. And I don't know whether £100 for the fuel bills this winter will take into account pensioners who are already getting £200.' Alan Moffatt, 67, accused the Chancellor of neglecting to care for pensioners on the old State Pension system who had missed out on previous financial support packagesAkif Al-Hussain, a 31-year-old MNA Manager, said: 'In essence, this budget is not going to be a great idea. I don't think anyone in the Labour government is financially literate.'To be quite frank, the only financially literate person we have had is Rishi Sunak and that's because he has a banking background. It helps.'He actually understood what the public needs. Right now, socialism doesn't work. It has to be a capitalist environment.'You know, how are these small savings going to help anyone? People need their mortgage rates down, they need cost of living, stuff to go down. Everything's too expensive.'You're victimising those who want to do well and giving more tax to those who, some obviously need it, but some are abusing the benefit scheme.'We need to find a way to reform it and make sure it goes to the people who deserve it and need it rather than those who abuse it.' Deborah Pearson, a retired professional from Newcastle, said: 'It's not going to make any difference to us at all. If you want to encourage enthusiasm for business and work and everything else that's going on in this country then you've not just got to look at the area of the population that have been heavily subsidised for so long.'They need to look at those in the middle, he's ignoring the middle-of-the-road income people.'We're from the north east so we see the problems of the country. When they talk about boosting the north they completely forget about the Geordies, entirely.'Nothing moves past the Manchester-Birmingham Midlands, which they insist is the North. It's not, it's the Midlands, we're the North. There are 50 miles more north of us. The jobs and the economy that is all grinding to a halt there.'Her partner Mark, also in his 60s, added: 'Cut welfare, cut inheritance tax. It'll encourage people to go out and get a job.'Joel Defries, a 41-year-old from London, said: 'We are in a difficult time, small things help. There is no money and no one is going to be happy so I guess who can you ease and appease the everyday burden. Let's just move the money around, so I say it's ok?'I don't think any budget can give a massive difference with where we are at. What can you do in this situation? There are no quick fixes here, there is a macro economic headwind that you can't affect so it's all optics really, isn't it?'Steve Harman, 43 from Brighton, said: 'Hospitality needs a lot of help. When it comes to minimum wage raises - which is a fair thing - it affects businesses massively, and also supply being affected with the tax increases on alcohol. 'It's just not sustainable. It's a scary time but we're British and we'll get through it.'Mr Defries added: 'Stop putting the duty up on alcohol! Who needs to spend £9 on an awful pint.'Brigitta Ben-Eghan, a 30-year-old who works in finance, said: 'We need to be looking out for everyone, not just the rich. The people in the middle need to be taken into account, the working class, everybody's struggling.'There's a supermarket boycott on Wednesday. I don't know how many people are actually taking part in it, but I am. Because it's not just for me but for the others who can't. It needs to be equal for everyone and the government should be doing more to accommodate that.'Jerry Eden, the owner of Oliver and Eden butchers in Newcastle's Grainger Market, said he was 'disappointed with this budget'.The 57-year-old said: 'The Government should be focussing on renewable energy and tackling the young people who need to come off the streets and get into work.'Young people have families who don't work. Their grandparents have never worked. It's a society of people who have never worked and have no interest in ever working.'I have families coming in and none of them have ever worked. It's frightening. I would have liked the budget to have addressed that problem.'They need to be getting people into jobs. You can't keep paying people masses of money to stay off work.'I would have also liked to have seen a mention of renewable energy. We have rivers, we have wind and we need to really go for it in terms of renewable energy In Norway they export their energy. They have the infrastructure.'The government has killed my business with the income tax. They are not helping small businesses.'Of the minimum wage increasing he added sarcastically: 'Brilliant, that will help me. Where do they think the money is coming from?'Ian Lindsay, a 65-year-old shop worker from Newcastle, said: 'It seems huge companies are getting away with everything including tax. They don't pay it.'There are little people like myself who work 16 hours a week, coming up to pensionable age and getting no help whatsoever.'I do get a small pension that's taxed. There should be more help there. The pension tax measures announced today aren't helping me now.'This is all in the future. The measures won't come into place until next year. The people in this country need help now and have done for a lot of years.'It's bad when you look around. You see areas that haven't been touched for years.'He added: 'Unemployment amongst youngsters is an absolute disgrace. There's nothing for them. No community centres, no apprenticeships.'Caroline Kennedy, a 32-year-old nurse, lives in Newcastle but is originally from Ireland.She said: 'The paternity leave is fantastic. The freeze on fuel duty and helping people heat their homes in winter is also great.'But I think there has been a lot of skirting around more important issues. That's what they are good at, and that's why I am not a politician.'I would have liked to have seen higher taxes for multi corporation companies, especially for the likes of Starbucks who have never paid any taxes in the UK.'It's whether or not the stronger powers to collect taxes will come to fruition. I will believe it when I see it.'There's been no mention of higher taxes for millionaires. There's nothing helping the man in the middle.'I am not disappointed as I think that would have been me having unrealistic expectations. I am not naive enough to expect any different.Retired baker Barry Turnbull, 69, of Gateshead, said: 'This will help a little bit, but it won't make any real difference. It's a drop in the ocean.'It won't make much of a difference to families. They give with one hand and take with the other.'The Government need to be getting their energy from the North Sea. I know people go on a lot about climate change, but will it make any difference?'READ MORE: Worse off under Mr Burnham: The middle-earners and families struggling with bills who face a fall in living standards under Labour's 'is that it?' Budget