logo
Reeves to promise investment in ‘renewal' as she unveils spending plans

Reeves to promise investment in ‘renewal' as she unveils spending plans

The Chancellor is expected to announce big increases in spending on the NHS, defence and schools as part of a spending review set to include £113 billion of investment thanks to looser borrowing rules.
She will also reveal changes to the Treasury's 'green book' rules that govern which projects receive investment in an effort to boost spending outside London and the South East.
Arguing that this investment is 'possible only because of the stability I have introduced' after the October budget, Ms Reeves is expected to say her spending review will 'ensure that renewal is felt in people's everyday lives, their jobs, their communities'.
She will say: 'The priorities in this spending review are the priorities of working people.
'To invest in our country's security, health and economy so working people all over our country are better off.'
Among the other announcements expected at the spending review is £39 billion for affordable homes over the next 10 years as the Government seeks to meet its promise of building 1.5 million homes by the next election.
The Treasury said this would see annual investment in affordable housing rise to £4 billion by 2029/30, almost double the average of £2.3 billion between 2021 and 2026.
A Government source said: 'We're turning the tide against the unacceptable housing crisis in this country with the biggest boost to social and affordable housing investment in a generation, delivering on our plan for change commitment to get Britain building.'
The Chancellor has also already announced some £15.6 billion of spending on public transport in England's city regions, and £16.7 billion for nuclear power projects, the bulk of which will fund the new Sizewell C plant in Suffolk.
But the spending review is expected to set out tough spending limits for departments other than health, defence and education.
Although Ms Reeves is reported to have agreed to an above-inflation increase in the policing budget, this is thought to have come at the expense of cuts in other parts of Home Office spending.
And sources close to London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan have expressed concern that the spending review will have nothing for the capital.
Ahead of the spending review, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that any increase in NHS funding above 2.5% is likely to mean real-terms cuts for other departments or further tax rises to come in the budget this autumn.
The Chancellor has already insisted that her fiscal rules remain in place, along with Labour's manifesto commitment not to increase income tax, national insurance or VAT.
She will say on Wednesday: 'I have made my choices. In place of chaos, I choose stability. In place of decline, I choose investment. In place of retreat, I choose national renewal.
'These are my choices. These are this Government's choices. These are the British people's choices.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Poorest to benefit from Reeves's spending but tax rises likely, says thinktank
Poorest to benefit from Reeves's spending but tax rises likely, says thinktank

The Guardian

time30 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Poorest to benefit from Reeves's spending but tax rises likely, says thinktank

Rachel Reeves's multibillion-pound plan to repair public services will benefit Britain's poorest households most but means tax rises are likely this autumn, according to a leading thinktank. The Resolution Foundation said the extra funding for hospitals, schools and the police announced by the chancellor would provide a valuable 'benefit-in-kind' for households who would gain from the improvements. A middle-income household would gain the equivalent of £1,400 a year on average by the time of the next general election through access to better services, rising to as much as £1,700 for the poorest fifth of households in the country. However, the thinktank warned that Reeves could be forced into further tax increases to maintain higher levels of spending at the forthcoming autumn budget, amid a worsening outlook for the economy and public finances. 'A combination of a weaker economic outlook, an unfunded spending commitment on winter fuel payments, and just £9.9bn of headroom against the chancellor's fiscal rules, mean further tax rises are likely to be needed this autumn,' it said. Reeves used Wednesday's spending review to prioritise funding for the NHS, defence and more than £100bn for long-term capital projects despite leaving some key areas facing a tough squeeze. In a pivotal speech to the Commons setting out Labour's plans up to the next general election, the chancellor said she was taking action to 'renew Britain' after years of underinvestment and austerity measures overseen by successive Conservative-led governments. The Resolution Foundation said the package showed that Britain was turning into a 'National Health State', with health accounting for 90% of the extra spending announced. In a major reshaping of the state, it calculated the NHS was on track to account for half (49%) of all day-to-day public service spending controlled by Westminster by the end of the decade – up from a third (34%) in 2009-10. The thinktank said real day-to-day spending was now rising again in the 2020s by 2.2% a year, after a 0.5% fall per year in the 2010s. However, in the decade prior to that under the last Labour government, spending rose by 4.3% on average each year. While the health service is taking up a larger share of public spending, other areas have faced real-terms budget cuts, including a 16% reduction in real, per-person funding for justice and a 50% decline for housing, communities and local government since 2010. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion However, experts warned that Reeves could face a summer of speculation over tax increases in the run-up to the autumn budget. Mel Stride, the Conservative shadow chancellor, said: 'This is the spend now, tax later review, because [she] knows she will need to come back here in the autumn with yet more taxes.' Labour argues that its plans allocate money that has already been raised, highlighting that the spending review is based on last year's autumn budget and this year's spring statement, when the Office for Budget Responsibility judged that Reeves was meeting her main fiscal rule to balance day-to-day spending with revenues within the fifth year of its forecast. However, economists warned that a weak growth outlook and rising government borrowing costs amid Donald Trump's global trade wars could blow the chancellor's plans off course. This could force the OBR to downgrade its forecasts for the government finances, which would require Reeves to take action to announce spending cuts or tax rises if she wanted to stick to her fiscal rule. Andrew Goodwin, the chief UK economist at the consultancy Oxford Economics, said: 'Considering the government's recent U-turn on winter fuel payments could be a precursor to higher government spending in other areas, it looks increasingly likely that substantial tax increases will be needed.'

Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out MORE tax hikes after spending spree plunged into turmoil
Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out MORE tax hikes after spending spree plunged into turmoil

Scottish Sun

time33 minutes ago

  • Scottish Sun

Rachel Reeves refuses to rule out MORE tax hikes after spending spree plunged into turmoil

RACHEL Reeves refused to rule out hiking up taxes after her spending plans were threatened by dismal growth figures. The Chancellor insisted she wasn't going to write Budgets for the next four years after the UK economy for shrank by 0.3 per cent in April - the biggest monthly drop for 18 months. 1 Chancellor Rachel Reeves insisted today she's not going to write the next four Budgets after being pressed on autumn tax rises Credit: Sky News The move came after she hit back at suggestions she was the 'Klarna Chancellor' after accusations her spending review was buy now and pay later. Ms Reeves told LBC News: "I am not going to write four years worth of budgets... It would be very risky for a Chancellor to write a budget in a world as uncertain as this. "I can say I won't have to repeat a budget like last year, I wiped the slate clean. We do now have that path to lower borrowing and debt". The Chancellor was speaking after she revelled in a £300 billion spending splurge increasing spending for health and defence and outlining new infrastructure projects. But Ms Reeves pointed to "uncertainty about tariffs" had led to the fall in GDP for April following Donald Trump''s global tariff war. The world trade war combined with stubborn inflation and slow growth are likely to see tax rises or major spending cuts at the Budget this autumn. She said: 'We know that April was a challenging month. "There was a huge uncertainty about tariffs, and one of the things if you dig into those GDP numbers today is exports weakening and also production weakening because of that uncertainty in the world around tariffs.' Analysis: Growth figures are wake up call after spending splurge By Ryan Sabey, Economics Editor Rachel Reeves revelled in a major spending splurge yesterday - but this morning she wakes up to a reality check. The Chancellor says that the figures are "clearly disappointing" but its a stark reminder of the fragility of the UK economy and how difficult it will be to turbo-charge growth. The effects of 'Awful April' - when a slew of added costs for business including that national insurance rise came in - has hit home. This Labour government has put that push for growth as their number one mission which will have the knock-on effect of driving up living standards. After a positive start to the year - where we saw growth up by 0.7 per cent - today we see it drop by 0.3 per cent for April. We shouldn't take one month's figures in isolation but the fear is conditions for business and entrepreneurs have hit them hard. The hike to national insurance contributions and minimum wage for firms kicked in at the start of April and this is how the economy has reacted. As the British Chambers of Commerce outline the NI rise has hit investment, recruitment and prices. The uncertainty of Donald Trump's tariffs is also a drag on the UK with the largest monthly fall on record in goods exports to the US. With dismal economic growth, the global trade war and stubborn inflation, the Chancellor will surely be left with little choice but to cut spending or raise taxes in the autumn. She has iron-clad fiscal rules she insists are non-negotiable so it feels inevitable something will have to give. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch hit out at Ministers saying they were waging a "war" with business. She highlighted how 'Awful April' when National Insurance contributions for business were hikes and minimum wage payments went up. The party leader said: "This is a war on the private sector, where private businesses are having to cut their coat according to their cloth. "They're having to downsize. They're having to let go of staff, but no reforms are being asked for any parts of the public sector. 'Of course, we want to fund public services, but we need to make sure that we're doing things better.' Ms Reeves outlined her spending review yesterday saying it was time for national renewal. She told Labour MPs at an event last night that she needed to "sell" the benefits of her plans to voters on the doorstep.

UK 'currently' training Israel soldiers on UK soil, Labour admit
UK 'currently' training Israel soldiers on UK soil, Labour admit

The National

timean hour ago

  • The National

UK 'currently' training Israel soldiers on UK soil, Labour admit

The news came in response to a written question at Westminster, put in by Labour MP for York Central Rachael Maskell. Maskell asked 'when the last time was that a member of the Israel Defense Forces was trained by the UK armed forces'. In a response published on Wednesday, Armed Forces Minister Luke Pollard admitted that the UK was 'currently' training IDF soldiers in the UK. READ MORE: David Pratt: Donald Trump is reshaping democracy for authoritarians at a rapid pace Pollard said: 'As part of routine defence engagement with Israel, the UK is currently training a limited number of Israel Defense Forces personnel on UK-based training courses.' The news comes despite the Labour Government sanctioning two Israeli ministers – Itamar Ben-Gvir, the security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, the finance minister. The UK Government has also continued to send military equipment to Israel, and has declined to block exports of parts for F-35 fighter jets despite evidence that they have been used in Gaza. Further, the UK has continued sending spy plane flights over Gaza in missions they say are run to provide Israel with information that could help to recover hostages held by Hamas. READ MORE: David Pratt: Israel's arming of Gaza's crime gangs is sure to backfire Maskell also brought up the flights with the UK Government. She asked: 'When the last time was that his Department provided the (a) Israeli government and (b) Israel Defense Forces with surveillance data of Gaza from Royal Air Force planes.' Pollard in his response referred only to previous answers in which he said: 'The UK controls what information is passed to Israeli authorities. 'Surveillance information of Gaza is passed to the relevant Israeli authorities only where it relates to hostage rescue and where we are satisfied that it will be used in accordance with international humanitarian law. 'I am unable to comment further on detailed intelligence matters.' Israel is credibly accused of committing genocide in Palestine with its now 19-month assault on Gaza. On Thursday, the Gaza Health Ministry said the number of Palestinians killed by Israel had passed 55,000. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wanted for arrest for alleged war crimes (Image: PA) The ministry does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but has said that women and children make up more than half the dead. The ministry says 55,104 people have been killed since the start of the war and 127,394 wounded. Many more are believed to be buried under the rubble or in areas that are inaccessible to local medics. Israeli forces have destroyed vast areas of Gaza, displaced about 90% of its population and in recent weeks have transformed more than half of the coastal territory into a military buffer zone that includes the now mostly uninhabited southern city of Rafah. A two-and-a-half-month blockade imposed by Israel when it ended a ceasefire with Hamas raised fears of famine and was slightly eased in May. The launch of a new Israeli and US-backed aid system has been marred by chaos and violence, and the UN says it has struggled to bring in food because of Israeli restrictions, a breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid, but the UN and aid groups deny there is any systematic diversion of aid to militants.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store