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England, Wales And Scotland: World Cup Group B Has Has Football Fans Talking

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It’s the most eye-catching group in the most controversial men’s World Cup ever.

On Friday, the draw for the tournament in Qatar – plagued to corruption and human rights allegations and to be held in winter for the first time – delivered potential match-ups that satisfied social media’s appetite for the farcical.

And most of them were in Group B.

England, USA, Iran and one of Scotland, Wales or Ukraine will make take each other on in the opening stage of the finals, and Twitter quickly seized on the historical and political ramifications.

A battle of Britain?

If looking from a UK perspective, the prospect of a first-ever ‘Battle of Britain’ at a World Cup finals is a dream for the country’s newspaper editors.

England has never faced off against Scotland or Wales at this tournament, but they do have recent European Championship experience against both sides.

Scotland and England played out a goalless draw at Wembley in the group stage of Euro 2020 last June, while Wales and England came together at Euro 2016.

If either Scotland or Wales qualify, expect the contest to spark domestic grievances, references to everything from Braveheart to Offa’s Dyke, and petty one-upmanship driven by London-based tabloids.

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The Meghan Markle derby

Gareth Southgate’s team will face the US in their second game. The teams have met twice in the World Cup finals – in 1950 and 2010 – and England won neither of them.

Apart from the underlying historical tensions – the revolutionary war, both country’s record of imperialism – the 1950 clash is infamous. The US beat England 1-0 at Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with Joe Gaetjens’ 38th-minute goal marking one of the great football upsets.

The last World Cup clash was also memorable. England’s “golden generation” were over-whelming favourites, as witnessed by The Sun newspaper’s hubristic front page when the group was drawn: “England, Algeria, Slovenia, Yanks’ (EASY)”.

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In the event, the 1-1 helped both the US and England to advance to the knockout rounds – but with the unfavoured Americans topping the group. The Stateside tabloids appeared to have as much fun as their English counterparts pre-tournament.

Politically-charged US v Iran

Just like in 1998, the US will play Iran with diplomatic relations yet to be restored between the nations. The Guardian called the game 24 years ago the “most politically charged match in World Cup history”, and the delicate geopolitics were underlined by a pre-game ceremony that saw Iranian players gifting white roses to the Americans as a symbol of peace.

On the pitch, Iran upset the US 2-1, eliminating the Americans after their second game of the tournament. It was Iran’s first-ever victory at a World Cup finals.

Tensions between England and Iran – note the British-Iranians recently released by Tehran after a historical debt was paid – are unlikely to be much better.

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Iranian fans in the grandstand celebrate their 2-1 victory over the US in the 1998 World Cup.” width=”720″ height=”485″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/england-wales-and-scotland-world-cup-group-b-has-has-football-fans-talking-6.jpg”>
Iranian fans in the grandstand celebrate their 2-1 victory over the US in the 1998 World Cup.

Ben Radford via Getty Images

Will Ukraine play?

It is unclear whether it is Scotland, Wales or Ukraine who will make up the fourth team in the group.

The continued invasion of Ukraine means FIFA is yet to establish a date in June for their qualifier against Scotland, and the subsequent match against Wales.

Oleksandr Petrakov, the manager of Ukraine’s men’s national football team, said in an interview with Ukrainian TV station Football 1: “As long as people in my country continue to die, I cannot think about playing the game in Scotland.

“We still have April and May to come, and we will see what happens then, but we are supposed to playing Scotland in June as well as Nations League games.

“But we can’t think about them at the moment given the current situation.”

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Experts Tearing Their Hair Out Over Cost Of Living: ‘Country Needs More Help!’

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Two household names known for their money-saving tips have revealed their frustration at Downing Street for its latest hike in energy bills, which will push people into poverty.

From April 1, the government has lifted the cap on energy bills which will increase the average household’s annual payments by £700. It’s set to hit 18 million households and is the largest increase since the regulating price cap was introduced.

The number of households in England in fuel poverty is subsequently set to double to five million people.

This is just one of several measures which have pushed the UK into a cost of living crisis where people will have to choose between eating and heating. Council tax, water bills and car tax costs are all rising this Friday too.

It’s now at the point where every the money-saving specialists, personal finance expert Martin Lewis and anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe, are at a loss.

People ‘already at the brink’

Monroe, known for calling out supermarkets over rising prices and sharing their affordable recipes, appeared deeply unsettled when they told ITV’s Lorraine that “people are at the brink” already on Friday.

They said: “It all boils down to the fact that people don’t have the basic income to meet their most basic and fundamental needs.”

The campaigner added that “it’s a crisis that has been building for the last decade”, and financial aid – rather than government platitudes – is needed.

Monroe sighed when asked what advice to give to people struggling and said: “It’s getting increasingly difficult to give tips and advice because people are at the brink.”

‘Lack of compassion’ from people in charge

The anti-poverty activist also shared why this crisis is particularly frustrating, explaining: “We’re one of the richest economies in the world, people shouldn’t have to be scrabbling around for these war-time tips in order to live a decent standard of living.”

Monroe later tweeted: “If I seemed a bit strung out on Lorraine this morning it’s because I am.”

They explained that across the last decade of campaigning against UK poverty, they “have never known the scale of sheer desperation and terror that is bombarding my inboxes daily from people worried they can’t survive this crisis”.

They added: “That’s not an exaggeration; people with disabilities, people on Universal Credit, people on low wages and zero hour contracts and underemployed in insecure part time jobs, people living alone, elderly people, all literally petrified about their immediate futures.”

This means it becomes “quite stressful” when trying to give people tips because “most people are doing everything they can think of”, they tweeted, including “the most absurdly unthinkable things”.

They pointed out that the main solution is just “urgent financial assistance from those that we elected to represent us”.

They added that they’re “almost out of hope”, explaining: “I’m beyond irritated at the lack of compassion and accountability shown by those who made this happen and have the power to stop it, but are choosing not to.”

Monroe pointed towards the elected MPs and called for action – and to “get the Tories out” – over the poverty crisis.

“Enough has to be enough,” they added.

‘Never experienced anything like this before’

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, expressed his concerns about the cost of living crisis on Thursday and explained how it had negatively affected him.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he said: “I think the anxiety and level of sick[ness] I feel in my stomach…no-one could have my mail bag and not feel sick at the moment.

“I think the only time I can remember is the week of the pandemic before furlough was announced. When we had no certainty and there was no help… that level of panic.

“And I feel that, for the lowest-earners in society, we’re back to that. The difference is I’m not sure where the help is coming from.

“We’ve certainly never experienced anything like this before.”

Not ‘party-political’ issue but a ‘humanitarian’ one

Lewis also explained that he tries to stay apolitical, but added: “I have to be blunt, the country needs more help.

“We are a first world, rich nation, and I am on [BBC] bloody radio station talking about how people are going to survive as to whether they choose to freeze or to starve, and I don’t feel that is right.”

The expert then took aim at those making the decisions, hitting out at chancellor Rishi Sunak’s controversial spring statement.

This included promises to raise the threshold for paying National Insurance, cut the basic rate of income tax (in 2024), cut fuel duty, up household support fund and drop VAT on green home improvements.

Lewis has already criticised this mini-budget for providing “nowhere near enough” support amid the cost-of-living crisis.

On Thursday, Lewis reiterated this message: “I have said this until I’m blue in the face – the spring statement, not enough help was given.

“And we need to protect our poorest, and we also need help for people with lower-to-middle incomes who are going to see their lifestyles curtailed very substantially by this.

“This is not a party political point. This is a humanitarian point.”

He said many people have tightened their belts to the point where it could not be tightened any more – and therefore political intervention was the only solution.

“I’m sorry the frustration is coming out, but I just wish the senior members of cabinet to have my mail bag,” the consumer journalist concluded.

Sunak’s self-defence

Sunak was forced to defend himself after he announced his mini-budget earlier this week. He has been criticised for not matching benefits to the 8% surge of inflation expected this spring, and for failing to help the worst-off.

But the chancellor disagreed with the claim that “government can or should” compensate everybody, especially when global factors – such as the rise in wholesale gas prices – are involved.

He also told MPs on Monday he wanted to keep borrowing down “at a time when we are worried about the macroeconomic outlook, particularly with regard to interest rates and inflation”.

“My job is to make the right long-term decisions and my view is that an excessive amount of borrowing now is not the responsible thing to do,” the cabinet minister said.

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Zelenskyy Removes 2 Ukrainian Generals After Accusing Them Of Being ‘Traitors’

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Thursday he is sacking two Ukrainian military generals for allegedly being “traitors.”

“Those servicemen among senior officers who have not decided where their homeland is, who violate the military oath of allegiance to the Ukrainian people as regards the protection of our state, its freedom and independence, will inevitably be deprived of senior military ranks,” Zelenskyy said during his nighttime address to the nation posted on Telegram, according to the English translation included in the video.

Zelenskyy named the two individuals as Naumov Andriy Olehovych, ex-chief of the Main Department of International Security of the Security Service of Ukraine, and Kryvoruchko Serhiy Oleksandrovych, former head of the Office of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Kherson region.

The Ukrainian president did not spell out what actions prompted the generals’ dismissal, but pledged to root out any more “antiheroes” in the future.

“Now I do not have time to deal with all the traitors,” he said. “But gradually they will all be punished.”

Over recent months, Zelenskyy has taken steps to tighten his control in Ukraine and steer the country away from Russia. In early February, before the war, he decided to shut down three TV channels owned by Viktor Medvedchuk, an ally to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming they aired “propaganda.” Following the invasion, he declared martial law, which he recently extended until late April, and eliminated 11 political parties with ties to the Kremlin.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 31.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks from Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 31.

Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via Associated Press

Ukraine and the West have been warning that Russia is regrouping its forces despite promising to scale back to “increase trust” in peace talks, which are set to resume Friday.

Russia’s defense minister told military officials Tuesday the country was now turning its attention to the “main goal — the liberation of Donbas,” according to The Associated Press .

“What we don’t believe is that [Putin’s] planning to send them home,” John Kirby, Pentagon’s press secretary told MSNBC on Thursday. “What we think he’s going to do is refit these troops, resupply them and put them back into Ukraine for offensive operations somewhere else.”

Young Russian men of draft age are also worried that Putin will send them to fight on the front lines in Ukraine as annual spring conscription is set to start Friday, despite officials ruling that out.

Jeremy Fleming, the head of British intelligence agency GCHQ, echoed U.S. intelligence warnings Thursday that Putin is “misinformed” on Russia’s military failings in Ukraine, adding that at one point the Russians accidentally shot down one of their own aircraft.

“Even though we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgements must be crystal clear to the regime,” Fleming said.

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Ukraine War: Putin’s ‘Massively Misjudged’ Invasion Plagued By Blunders, Says UK Spy Chief

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Vladimir Putin has made a “strategic miscalculation” over his assault on Ukraine, the head of Britain’s GCHQ spy agency said as he claimed demoralised Russian troops are in such disarray they are even shooting down their own aircraft.

In a rare public address during a visit to Australia, Sir Jeremy Fleming will say the Russian president has “massively misjudged” the situation in Ukraine, from the impact of sanctions to the strength of the resistance and the ability of his forces to deliver a rapid victory.

And he will paint a picture of a faltering military campaign plagued by blunders.

“We’ve seen Russian soldiers – short of weapons and morale – refusing to carry out orders, sabotaging their own equipment and even accidentally shooting down their own aircraft,” he will say.

“And even though we believe Putin’s advisers are afraid to tell him the truth, what’s going on and the extent of these misjudgments must be crystal clear to the regime.

“It all adds up to the strategic miscalculation that Western leaders warned Putin it would be. It’s become his personal war, with the cost being paid by innocent people in Ukraine and, increasingly, by ordinary Russians too.”

Earlier on Wednesday, British intelligence suggested Russian forces appear to have conceded that its strategy to overwhelm the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv has so far failed.

The ministry of defence tweeted: “Russian units suffering heavy losses have been forced to return to Belarus and Russia to reorganise and resupply.

“Such activity is placing further pressure on Russia’s already strained logistics and demonstrates the difficulties Russia is having reorganising its units in forward areas within Ukraine.

“Russia will likely continue to compensate for its reduced ground manoeuvre capability through mass artillery and missile strikes.

“Russia’s stated focus on an offensive in Donetsk and Luhansk is likely a tacit admission that it is struggling to sustain more than one significant axis of advance.”

<img class="img-sized__img landscape" loading="lazy" alt="Ukrainian serviceman as seen on the checkpoint in the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine.” width=”720″ height=”479″ src=”https://www.wellnessmaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/ukraine-war-putins-massively-misjudged-invasion-plagued-by-blunders-says-uk-spy-chief-3.jpg”>
Ukrainian serviceman as seen on the checkpoint in the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine.

Anastasia Vlasova via Getty Images

Fleming is also warning China not to become “too closely aligned” with Russia as it continues to pursue its path of aggression against Ukraine.

And he will say that China’s long-term interests are not well served by an alliance with a country that “wilfully and illegally” ignores the international “rules of the road”.

His intervention comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week directly confronted President Xi Jinping over Beijing’s stance on the conflict in Ukraine in what was described as a “frank and candid” discussion.

Speaking at the Australian National University in Canberra, Fleming will say that Putin has made a clear “strategic choice” to align with China as it grows more powerful in direct opposition to the United States.

From the Kremlin’s point of view, it regards China in the current crisis as a supplier of weapons, a provider of technology, a market for its oil and gas and a means to circumvent sanctions.

However, Fleming will say President Xi – who has not publicly condemned the invasion – has a “more nuanced” view of the relationship.

With “an eye on retaking Taiwan”, he would not want to do anything which might constrain his actions in future, while he may calculate that it actually helps him oppose the US.

At the same time, Beijing is taking the opportunity to purchase cheap Russian hydrocarbons while Moscow provides additional impetus and support to its digital markets and technology plans.

Fleming will however argue that there are risks for both sides – but particularly China – in becoming “too closely aligned”.

“Russia understands that, long term, China will become increasingly strong militarily and economically. Some of their interests conflict; Russia could be squeezed out of the equation,” he will say.

“And it is equally clear that a China that wants to set the rules of the road – the norms for a new global governance – is not well served by close alliance with a regime that wilfully and illegally ignores them all.”

On Ukraine, Fleming will say GCHQ’s National Cyber Security Centre has seen “sustained intent” from Russia to disrupt Ukrainian government and military systems.

He will say there is the potential for a spillover into neighbouring countries, suggesting Russia’s “cyber actors” are looking for targets in states that oppose their actions.

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What Is Aphasia? Bruce Willis’ Condition Explained

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Bruce Willis is “stepping away” from his acting career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a condition that affects the ability to express or understand speech, Willis’ family announced on Wednesday. The condition is “impacting his cognitive abilities,” the family said.

So what is aphasia? And what causes it? Here’s what you need to know.

Aphasia is a condition that affects communication.

Aphasia is a disorder that stems from damage to parts of the brain responsible for speaking, writing and understanding language, the Mayo Clinic explains.

It often occurs after a sudden emergency, like a stroke (when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted) or head injury. But aphasia can also come on more slowly over time. It can affect people of any age, but is most common in those middle-aged and older. Estimates say roughly 180,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with aphasia every year.

The specific communication challenges people face can vary.

With aphasia, some people may speak in short or incomplete sentences or longer sentences that don’t make any sense. Other times, they might use unrecognizable words or seem unable to follow a conversation. All of that may extend to writing, too.

In general, people with aphasia tend to fall into one of three different patterns, according to the Mayo Clinic:

  • Expressive aphasia (sometimes called Broca’s or nonfluent aphasia) in which people are better at understanding others than they are at speaking. They often struggle to get words out or speak in phrases, rather than complete sentences. For example, they might say things like: “Walk park today,” the Mayo Clinic explains.

  • Comprehensive aphasia (sometimes called fluent or Wernicke’s aphasia) in which people tend to speak in long, complex sentences that don’t make sense. They may have difficulty understanding spoken language, and do not always realize that others can’t understand them.

  • Global aphasia. People with this pattern tend to have poor comprehension and difficulty forming words and sentences, the Mayo clinic says.

Aphasia is usually the result of a serious brain issue, like a stroke, injury or tumor.

Aphasia is not something that just happens on its own; it is caused by damage to one (or more) of the areas of the brain responsible for language. Stroke is a common culprit. When the blood supply to part of the brain is stopped or greatly reduced, that prevents brain tissue from getting the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function — which can have an immediate, and sometimes lasting, impact on communication.

Serious head injuries are another possible cause of aphasia, as are brain infections.

But the condition can also develop over time, particularly if a person has a brain tumor or a progressive neurological condition, like Alzheimer’s.

Willis’ family has not provided any details beyond his aphasia diagnosis.

If you have any concerns, talk to a doctor ASAP.

Because aphasia is linked to extremely serious underlying brain issues, it is important to see a doctor right away if you (or a loved one) notices any changes in speech or cognition.

If you suddenly develop any of the following symptoms, you should seek emergency medical care immediately, the Mayo Clinic says, as they may be a sign of a stroke:

  • Difficulty speaking

  • Trouble understanding speech

  • Difficulty with word recall

  • Problems with reading or writing

Depending on a person’s condition, doctors may run tests like a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scan to better understand what is happening. They may also run tests to gauge a person’s ability to answer questions and hold a conversation.

There are ways to treat aphasia.

Treating aphasia depends a lot on the root cause. For example, after a brain injury like a stroke, some people are able to recover significant function — including language skills — depending on what parts of the brain were affected and how extensive the damage was. Many people go to rehabilitation programs, which often include a speech pathologist (in addition to a team of medical providers) who can help with recovery.

In general, doctors will attempt to deal with whatever the underlying causes of aphasia are, and then help people regain communication skills to the extent it is possible.

“Aphasia therapy aims to improve a person’s ability to communicate by helping him or her to use remaining language abilities, restore language abilities as much as possible, and learn other ways of communicating, such as gestures, pictures, or use of electronic devices,” explains the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. There are individual and group therapy options, as well as speech-generating technologies that can help people communicate throughout their days.

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Tories Heckled As MPs Flock To Boris Johnson-Hosted Dinner On Day Partygate Fines Issued

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Tory ministers arriving at Boris Johnson-hosted dinner were heckled by bereaved Covid families – on the same day police confirmed 20 fines will be issued over gatherings held across Whitehall.

Shouts of “shame on you” and “off to another party are we?” were reportedly heard amid as Conservative MPs arrived at a luxury central London hotel for what was billed as a “team-building” event.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, levelling up secretary Michael Gove and opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg were among those to arrive at the Park Plaza near Westminster Bridge shortly before 8pm on Tuesday.

Dozens of grief-stricken relatives who lost loved ones during the pandemic lined up outside the entrance to boo guests as they arrived in cars and on foot.

Labour MP Chris Bryant, who chairs parliament’s committee on standards, said: “The more I think about the PM hosting a Westminster party for MPs on the anniversary of the Covid memorial and in the face of the 20 partygate fines for breaking the law at No 10, the more I realise the Tories are laughing at us all. They must think we’re stupid.”

Earlier, the Metropolitan Police confirmed ‘partygate’ investigators will begin handing out 20 fines over gatherings held across Whitehall during Covid measures.

There was a heavy police presence surrounding the hotel and the prime minister is thought to have gained access to the building through a different entrance.

No.10 said on Tuesday if Johnson is among those to receive a fine for attending parties in Downing Street it will let voters know.

June Newbon, who lost her husband to the virus, branded the evening “disgusting” in light of the Met’s conclusion that it believes laws were broken at the heart of government.

She said holding a lavish dinner was especially inappropriate given the cost-of-living crisis hitting millions of people and the war in Ukraine.

“I think it’s disgusting,” she told the PA news agency outside the hotel.

“No-one else can afford to do this given the prices going up, and the war as well.”

Newbon and her daughter Ellie said Conservative politicians would be better placed attending the candlelit procession to mark the first anniversary of the National Covid Memorial Wall, a planned event near the hotel on Westminster Bridge.

Hundreds of bereaved relatives turned up to the walk on Tuesday to commemorate their loved ones and call for the mural to be made permanent.

“I think someone should make their presence known down at the bridge today instead,” Newbon said.

“I think that’s the respect they owe us,” her daughter added.

“We haven’t had an apology from Boris and I don’t feel we’re going to have one tonight.”

Downing Street has denied Johnson misled parliament over the goings-on in Whitehall during the pandemic.

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Jim Carrey ‘Sickened’ By ‘Spineless’ Ovation For Will Smith At Oscars

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Actor Jim Carrey on Monday blasted the Oscars audience for cheering Will Smith shortly after he slapped Chris Rock over a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. (Watch the video below.)

“I was sickened by the standing ovation,” the “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” actor told CBS’s Gayle King. “I felt like Hollywood is just spineless en masse.”

Just minutes after the incident at Sunday night’s ceremony, guests at the ceremony got to their feet when Will Smith won Best Actor for “King Richard.” In his acceptance speech, he apologized to the academy and fellow nominees for his behavior, rationalizing that “love will make you do crazy things.” He joked that he must “look like the crazy father, just like they said about Richard Williams,” whom he portrayed in “King Richard.” (Smith apologized to Rock on Monday.)

On Monday, King pointed out that anyone else besides Smith would’ve probably been escorted out after the assault or even arrested. Carrey said Smith “should have been,” but that Rock — who declined to press charges — simply didn’t want the hassle.

“I’d have announced this morning that I was suing Will for $200 million,” Carrey said. “That video is gonna be there forever. It’s gonna be ubiquitous. You know, that insult is gonna last a very long time.”

“You do not have the right to … smack somebody in the face because they said words,” Carrey continued, adding that it was “a selfish moment that cast a pall over the whole thing.”

At the ceremony on Sunday, Will Smith walked onstage and hit Rock in the face after the comedian made the joke about his wife, who has opened up about her struggles with alopecia, a condition that causes hair loss. Smith shouted at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out your fucking mouth.”

Carrey isn’t the only comedian who has spoken out about the incident. Kathy Griffin and Patton Oswalt suggested that Smith’s actions could create open season on comics simply for telling jokes the audience doesn’t like.

Check out Carrey’s comments at the 3:10 mark:

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Ukrainian Soldier Who Told Russian Warship To ‘Go F*** Yourself’ Given Medal

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A Ukrainian soldier who defiantly told a Russian warship to “go fuck yourself” before being captured has been awarded a civic medal, his country’s ministry of defence said on Tuesday.

Roman Gribov, a Ukrainian border guard, was told to surrender while defending the tiny Snake Island in the Black Sea on the first day of Russia’s invasion into Ukraine in February.

A Ukrainian official at the time said 13 of the border guards had been killed defending the island south of the port of Odessa, on February 24, after losing contact with the garrison, which was targeted by the Russian military in an artillery attack.

In fact, the soldiers did surrender to the Russians and a few weeks later they were returned to Ukraine in a prisoner swap.

In footage published on Tuesday, Gribov was called a “hero” as he received the award from the head of Cherkasy regional administration, Reuters reported.

“I want to say a big thank you to the Ukrainian people for such support,” Gribov said. “We strongly feel this support, it inspires us.”

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Time to cut back on caffeine?

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Brexit Is Largely To Blame For UK Exports Lagging Other Countries, Rishi Sunak Admits

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Brexit is largely to blame for UK exports lagging behind other countries, Rishi Sunak has admitted.

The chancellor was responding to data showing the amount of goods British companies are selling abroad has fallen since 2019 when compared to other advanced economies.

Asked about the worrying trend while appearing in front of the Treasury select committee, Sunak said it was “always inevitable that if you change the exact nature of your trading relationship with the EU, that was going to have an impact on trade flows”.

Committee chairman Mel Stride asked the chancellor whether he was concerned the UK was becoming “more of a closed economy post-Brexit”.

He added: “Why have we got the significant reduction in trade intensity that’s stayed low whereas other have come back?”

Sunak, who backed Brexit in the 2016 referendum, said: “Without a doubt we’re changing our trading relationship with the EU and that means a different set of controls and things that people will have to do and that will obviously have an impact and that, I’m sure, is a big part of the reason why this is happening.”

He added: “The benefit of new trading relationships take time, they don’t happen all overnight.”

Earlier, the chancellor had been forced to defend his widely-criticised spring statement, which failed to provide any extra help for those on benefits.

He said it would have been “irresponsible” for the government to have borrowed more to increase the welfare bill in the face of rising inflation.

Mel Stride said the chancellor had done “very little” for those who were out of work and relying on benefits.

But Sunak said: “If someone’s view is government can or should make everybody whole for inflation – particularly inflation at these levels caused by global supply factors – then that’s something that I don’t think is doable.”

He said that raising benefits by the current rate of inflation – which is forecast to rise to more than eight per cent – rather than what it was last September, would have added £25 billion to Government borrowing in the period up to 2026-27.

He said that “irresponsible” borrowing levels risked stoking inflation even further, adding to the pressure on living standards.

“We are already forecast to borrow in this coming year about 60% more as a percentage of GDP than our post-war average, 20% more as a percentage of GDP than we were forecast to borrow in October, so it is already a significant amount of borrowing,” he said.

“My view is an excessive amount of borrowing now is not the responsible thing to do.”

Sunak said his decision to announce he intended to cut the basic rate of income tax by a penny from 2024 would inject “discipline” into the debate about public spending levels.

“Now having something to aim for means that hopefully we can have a more disciplined conversation about incremental public spending at this point, which is already at very high levels,” he said.

“My priority at this point forward is to keep cutting taxes, not increased public spending.”

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