Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, has pledged to keep fighting for interim funding for the maternity unit at Musgrove Park Hospital.

He was speaking in the debate on the Budget, details of which were leaked before the Chancellor got to her feet to speak.

Mr Amos told the government that “the only thing more leaky than the pre-budget period is the roof at Musgrove Park Hospital” and made a call for interim funding for hospitals like Musgrove Park, awaiting its promised maternity unit rebuild in 2033.

He said afterwards that the Budget raised significant tax implications for people as the government continued the Conservatives’ idea of freezing tax thresholds.

“So, as income rises, more and more people will end up paying tax in higher bands.

“What we, as Lib Dems, wanted to see was much more help for people with the cost of living.

“We had called for a boost to the hospitality and leisure sector with a 5% cut in their VAT.

“We also wanted a reduction in electricity bills which we would have funded by a tax on bank profits – the big four banks are set to make £50 billion in profit this year. That’s a windfall they should be taxed on.

“We should also be looking at a new and much bigger trade deal with the EU to boost economic growth.”

Mr Amos said he was disappointed the government was pressing ahead with plans for a family farm tax.

He joined protesting farmers in London on the morning on the Budget and said afterwards:

“We all understand the biggest landowners in the country should pay their fair share.

“But the family farm tax, alongside the closing of all farming funding programmes, could be ruinous for average-sized family farms, many of which would need to be broken up for sale when older generations pass away.

“Farmers often work for way below the minimum wage but do it to put food on to our tables.

“The tax hits the poorest farms hardest and needs to be scrapped or completely redesigned so small farms are protected from being broken up.”