The Autumn Budget - your views

"Overall this was a good Budget for Britain's small firms, especially on the business rates front and for those in the hospitality sector that have been through hell. Yes, you always need to go through the small print as that can hide many a sin, but first impressions are that it is a positive Budget. "English and UK winemakers will have received a particular boost from the Budget, as they tend to produce lower strength fizzes and wines. The lack of sun in this country has ironically delivered a fiscal lift to local UK wine producers. "The Chancellor seems committed to driving business growth through innovation, cutting companies the slack they need to grow, and generally improving productivity around the country."

"The devil is always in the detail but higher earners should be delighted that pensions tax relief seems to have been left alone. I'm also happy that the Chancellor is finally correcting the injustice of lower-paid employers in 'net pay' pensions schemes not receiving tax relief."

"Rishi Sunak might want to consider changing his name to Rishi Snake-Oil as that's what he's selling. Unfortunately, the numbers don't add up without the addition of significant cuts in areas we're yet to find out, or painful tax rises, most probably a combination of both. The Chancellor talks of levelling up, considerable increases in budgets, admits that unemployment is still growing. Inflation is expected to peak at 4%, with debt to GDP still rising for the next few years. Not to mention the introduction of his fiscal charter, which is nothing more than a political stunt, and could see the UK economy hung by its own petard. "The Tories will not want to break the fiscal charter and be seen to renege on these commitments. We don't need gimmicks that can and absolutely will backfire; we need pragmatic politicians that deal with the situation before them rather than grandstanding, which so far is all that has happened. "It's not all bad news; it's great that the public sector pay freeze will be abolished - let's just hope that the rises are above inflation; otherwise, that too will be more smoke and mirrors, and it's high time that the minimum wage is to rise to help the lowest paid in society. "However, as always, it's given with one hand and taken with another. Rishi mentioned he'd written to the Governor of the Bank of England reaffirming the commitment to keep inflation at the target of 2%, and given it's likely to peak at 4% according to the OBR; you can bet your bottom dollar that a base rate rise is on the cards sooner rather than later. "What does all this mean? In reality, services will continue to be squeezed, mortgage rates will likely rise, the poor will be left by the wayside, and this deleterious government will continue to ride roughshod over the country until a real opposition and credible alternative can muster the strength to stand up to these charlatans."