In this article, Frodsham MP Mike Amesbury gives his opinion on today's Budget announcement

I believe the budget exposed the Tories' intention to return to the same insecure economy and unequal country so cruelly exposed by the virus.

I wanted to hear a budget that attempted to fundamentally rebuild the economic foundations of the country and put health and social care at its heart.

The virus revealed the importance of our key workers – the heroes of this pandemic – but also how much our National Health Service has been undermined by the Conservatives.

There was no plan for the NHS recovery to ensure people get the health care they badly need – there was no mention of the NHS or social care that looks after our elderly and vulnerable population.

Outrageously, the Chancellor is freezing pay for the key workers we all clapped for every Thursday last summer, including Boris Johnson and his cabinet. Neither did Rishi Sunak mention schools or teachers or crime, or how we are going to rejuvenate Britain's high streets.

This is the same old Tories with the wrong priorities: stamp duty cuts for second home owners and a cut to the incomes of the lowest paid, just as unemployment kicks in.

A Labour budget would have rebuilt the foundations of our economy for the whole country based around making the most of the vast array of talents that so often go to waste.

There would have been a focus on the long term, supporting decent new jobs - including employment that chimes with the green agenda - while supporting our precious high streets, protecting family incomes and backing our key worker heroes.

We needed to learn the lessons of this pandemic, not go back to the insecurity of the past. I'm afraid the Chancellor chose the wrong priorities.