There was certainly an air of expectation prior to Rishi Sunak's Budget Statement and he did not disappoint. In an assured presentation, the Chancellor unveiled more support for workers and businesses struggling with lock-down. The furlough scheme is to be extended to September - along with higher universal credit payments. But taxes on large company profits will rise in 2023 and a million more people will start paying income tax. Worryingly, it will take the UK's tax burden to its highest level since the 1960s, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said. This is very concerning, as is the vast amount of money - £407 billion - the Government is spending this year and next to support the economy. The Chancellor's speech is on my website. In Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon made her long-awaited appearance at the inquiry into her government's unlawful handling of harassment complaints against her predecessor, Alex Salmond. Ms Sturgeon insisted she had no reason to want to "get" Mr Salmond, as she dismissed claims of a plot against him as "absurd". She apologised to the two women who had made the complaints, saying they were let down by a "very serious error". But Ms Sturgeon rejected much of Mr Salmond's version of events. Difficulties post Brexit continued, with the EU saying a UK move to unilaterally extend grace periods for Irish Sea border checks would be a breach of international law. Northern Ireland has remained a part of the EU's single market for goods, so products arriving from GB undergo EU import procedures. The grace periods mean procedures and checks are not yet fully applied. The first of these periods will expire at the end of March, but the UK said it would be extended until October. European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said the move amounted to "a violation of the relevant substantive provisions" of the Brexit deal on Northern Ireland, known as the NI Protocol. He said the EU would respond in accordance with the "legal means" established by the protocol and the wider Brexit deal. I was delighted to receive the final report from the South Dorset Business Advisory Panel (SDBAP), which has been worked up a group of prominent business men and women in Weymouth and on Portland. I have put in to speak during the Budget debate tomorrow and will raise this document for the first time if called.