Watch again: Jeremy Hunt grilled on spring Budget by committee of MPs

The chancellor s appearance before the Treasury Committee comes after his economic proposals cleared their first Commons hurdle amid warnings that they lack a bombshell announcement to turn around the Tories election prospects. Mr Hunt used last week s Budget to announce preelection giveaways, including a 2p cut in national insurance for employees and the selfemployed from April and a cut to the top rate of capital gains tax on property sales. MPs approved a series of Budget resolutions, which relate to specific proposals for taxation, on Tuesday evening. A Finance Bill will be considered at a later date to give them permanent legal effect. Conservative MP Richard Drax said on the final day of the Budget debate: When I heard the Chancellor speak about the importance of lower taxes and allowing people to keep more of their hardearned money I was expecting a bombshell of an announcement during his speech. For example, abolishing inheritance tax, lower