Peel and Glenfaba MHK Kate Lord‑Brennan delivered a forceful defence of the 2026 Budget in Tynwald today.
Ms Lord-Brennan argued that the rise in personal allowances is both justified and long overdue, and warning that some of the criticism aimed at the new Treasury Minister is driven more by “personality politics” than genuine concern for the public.
Lord‑Brennan said members could legitimately support increasing personal allowances while still recognising the island’s structural deficit, noting that the Economic Policy Review Committee itself had recommended such a change to ensure people keep more of their own money.
She said the adjustment prevents low‑income workers from being pushed into higher tax and National Insurance payments, describing it as “literally putting more money in people’s pockets”.
Island’s Challenges
She criticised MHKs who, she said, had shown little concern about the use of reserves in previous years but were now directing blame at the new Treasury Minister, Chris Thomas.
The island’s financial challenges, she argued, “were not created under the current minister” and cannot be fixed in a single budget.
Lord‑Brennan said the system “needs to be completely redesigned” rather than propped up year after year, and warned that some members were more focused on defending the machinery of government than serving the public.
Personal Allowance
She also highlighted that many other areas of spending draw on reserves, saying it was misleading to frame the personal allowance rise as the sole pressure point.
She urged members to support the Budget and to back the forthcoming Economic Policy Review Committee report, saying the changes signal a shift toward giving people more of their own earnings.
“We should care about giving constituents more money than they would otherwise have got,” she said, adding that meaningful reform is needed but “we are not going to solve it in one budget.”
Ms Lord-Brennan’s full speech can be heard below:
