ONE of Oxford's MPs made the case for small businesses as the Chancellor of the Exchequer laid out his review of spending last week.

Anneliese Dodds, the Oxford East MP and Labour shadow chancellor, asked her opposite number Rishi Sunak why his Spending Review was shy on details about how to prepare for Brexit.

Speaking in the House of Commons last Wednesday (November 18) Ms Dodds asked why there was no mention of the end of the transition period in the chancellor's speech.

The Oxford East MP said: "In less than 40 days we are due to leave the transition period yet the chancellor didn’t even mention that in his speech. There is still no trade deal.

"Does the chancellor think he has done enough to… help those businesses that will be heavily affected?"

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In his reply, Mr Sunak referred to some of the support which the Government has offered to businesses during the Covid pandemic, including grants given out through local councils and business interruption loans.

But he did not refer to Brexit in his response to Ms Dodds.

An official Government briefing from the cabinet office was leaked to the Guardian newspaper last week, which did acknowledge Brexit was part of a tough period ahead for the UK economy.

It said that the country faces a 'systemic economic crisis' due to the combination of Brexit and Covid.