Week-in-Review: Spring statement looks set to restore sense of drift
Consider the context in which Labour’s fleeting political honeymoon came to an end last year. The parliamentary rebellions, the petty scandals, the inability to expound a compelling narrative, the contradictory messaging, the churn of noisy media controversy, the incessant hum of vituperative internal briefings — the unforced errors. Labour’s malfunctions exacted a heavy toll, as […]
Jack Rankin: ‘The British taxpayer will be forced to pick up the bill for Labour’s reckless choices’
Choices. They define a chancellor’s tenure at the helm of Britain’s economy. But a failure to understand the impacts of your choices, to the extent that was exposed in Rachel Reeves’ emergency budget on Wednesday, risks fiscal calamity. In October, the chancellor began her public spending spree with a multi-billion-pound, inflation-busting deal for her union […]
A Labour revolt over welfare cuts is brewing
Rachel Reeves was charged with the broadcast media round this morning, as she fielded questions and criticisms in the wake of her first spring statement as chancellor. The first wave of commentary has honed in on the government’s welfare reforms, the bulk of which were unveiled earlier this month by work and pensions secretary Liz […]
Lib Dems: Government must ‘toughen up’ on Trump with retaliatory Tesla tariffs
The government needs to “toughen up” and start placing retaliatory tariffs on US carmakers like Tesla, the Liberal Democrats have said. The party has urged ministers to place a 25 per cent retaliatory tariff on Elon Musk’s electric car company after the US announced that 25 per cent tariffs on all car imports will begin […]
Rachel Reeves ‘absolutely certain’ welfare cuts will not push more people into poverty
Rachel Reeves has appeared to reject her own government’s impact assessment of her welfare reforms, saying she is “absolutely certain” that the changes will not push more people into poverty. An official impact assessment from the government estimated the welfare cuts announced in the chancellor’s budget would leave 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, in relative […]
Chancellor’s spring statement speech in full as growth forecast halved to 1 per cent
Rachel Reeves has presented her first highly-anticipated spring statement to the House of Commons. Addressing MPs, the chancellor announced that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s economic growth forecast for 2025 has been slashed from 2 per cent to 1 per cent, although GDP growth forecasts for future years have been upgraded. Read Reeves’ full speech […]
Spring statement: Rachel Reeves’ battles are far from over
Labour’s vow to set out only one major “fiscal event” a year, detailed in its election manifesto, was designed to serve as a definite signal of a new era: in the place of political chaos and fiscal unpredictability — symbolised by the rise and rapid fall of Liz Truss — stability would reign. No longer […]
Reeves to unveil more welfare cuts in spring statement, defence secretary signals
A cabinet minister has appeared to confirm reports that further cuts to welfare spending are in the pipeline after the budget watchdog ruled previously-announced measures will not save the £5 billion a year expected by 2030. According to multiple reports on Wednesday morning, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) found that the measures would only […]
Minister appears to criticise Rachel Reeves for accepting Sabrina Carpenter ‘freebie’
A minister has appeared to criticise Rachel Reeves for accepting free tickets to a Sabrina Carpenter concert at the O2 arena, stating he would pay for his own attendance at shows. Matthew Pennycook, who serves as minister of state for housing and planning, said he does not “personally think it’s appropriate” to accept hospitality offerings […]
The spring statement will pit Rachel Reeves against her party
Rachel Reeves spent Sunday morning touring the broadcast studios as she attempted the traditional pitch roll for this week’s spring statement. The chancellor had a headline in mind, and her confirmation that she will seek a 15 per cent reduction in administrative costs across Whitehall, amounting to about £2 billion a year, receives comprehensive coverage […]
