How will Budget 2026 impact you?
The headlines from Budget 2026 in two minutes, and a free briefing on what it means for your own organisation.
The Treasury published Budget 2026 on 28 October. It runs to tens of thousands of words across energy, tax, business rates, housing, welfare and defence. Below are the headlines in brief. If you want to know what it means for your own organisation, get your free Budget briefing.
The headlines
- Energy bills. The VAT cut on domestic electricity is extended to July 2027, expected to take around £50 off the annual Ofgem price cap in April 2027. A £2.6 billion Household Energy Payment gives £100 to households in council tax bands A to D in England from January 2027.
- Tax. No increase to the headline rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT. The Bank Corporation Tax Surcharge doubles from 3% to 6% for 15 months from 1 January 2027.
- Wages. The National Living Wage rises 3.9% to £13.21 an hour on 1 April 2027.
- High streets. Around 70,000 more retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England will pay no business rates from April 2027. Pubs, social clubs and most live music venues get an extra 20% relief.
- Industry. 10,000 energy intensive manufacturers get a 20 to 25% electricity discount from April 2027.
- Founders. A new Founders' Relief offers a 10% Capital Gains Tax rate on up to £10 million of lifetime gains from 6 April 2027.
- Housing. An extra £1.5 billion for around 10,000 social and affordable homes in England, and £4.7 billion for the Your First Home equity loan scheme to help around 70,000 households buy their first home.
- Rough sleeping. A further £432 million over the two financial years from April 2027.
- Motoring. The 5p fuel duty cut is extended to 1 July 2027.
- Devolution. A roadmap to fiscal devolution gives mayors a share of income tax and business rates.
What does it mean for you?
Those are the national numbers. What matters to your organisation is narrower: which measures touch your work, when they start, and who in Parliament will push them further or push back.
That is what Frontbench's Budget briefing is for. Tell us your organisation and up to three policy areas you care about, and we will email you a private briefing with:
- the Budget measures that bear on your areas, taken from the Treasury's own document
- your Fantasy Frontbench: your champions in Westminster, the MPs and Peers already speaking up on your issues, drawn from Frontbench's records of Hansard debates and Early Day Motions
It is free and takes about a minute.
Running a company or a charity?
We have pulled out the measures most likely to matter to each:
Sources
- HM Treasury, Budget 2026 (HC 726), 28 October 2026.
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