Reeves doubles down on fiscal rules amidst waning headroom March 17, 2025 Rachel Reeves doubled down on her fiscal rules in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Monday, despite speculation that economic conditions have left the chancellor with little or no room for manoeuvre. Following the Autumn Budget, Reeves was left with a £9.9bn buffer to maintain her key rule for day-to-day spending to be funded by [...]
Reeves told to scrap ‘jobs tax’ after headline figures questioned March 12, 2025 A fresh row has erupted just weeks before Rachel Reeves‘ national insurance tax hike comes into effect after the Treasury’s headline figures were scrutinized. When announcing her 1.2 per cent hike to employers’ national insurance contributions (NIC) at the Autumn Budget, Reeves said it would raise “£25bn per year by the end of the forecast period.” [...]
Davos: Reeves defends fiscal rules and says Heathrow expansion is ‘pro-growth’ January 22, 2025 Rachel Reeves has insisted the UK would continue to meet her “fiscal rules”, describing them as the “bedrock” of the stability she aims to restore to the economy and public finances. The Chancellor spoke at a Bloomberg event at the World Economic Forum in Davos, as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector [...]
A ‘painful sequel’ to the Budget may be coming, Deutsche Bank warns January 7, 2025 Businesses should brace for a “painful sequel to the autumn Budget” this year as lacklustre growth raises the threat of further tax hikes from Rachel Reeves, Deutsche Bank has warned. In a note to investors, the investment bank warned that growth was likely to slide below the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) projections in October [...]
Reeves ‘not satisfied’ as economic growth slows in third quarter November 16, 2024 Rachel Reeves has said she is “not satisfied” after official figures showed economic growth slowed in the months after Labour won the election, and even contracted in September. The UK economy grew by 0.1 per cent between July and September, versus 0.5 per cent growth in the previous quarter, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) [...]
You know what won’t improve state efficiency? More watchdogs November 12, 2024 Donald Trump and Keir Starmer agree on one thing at least: their governments need reforming and to be much more efficient. Sadly for those on this side of the Atlantic, our value-for-money policies inspire little confidence. The UK already needed radical attention but Labour’s first Budget has raised the stakes even higher. As the Office [...]
Government ‘would breach fiscal rules with minor rate rise’ November 5, 2024 The Chancellor would be in breach of her own fiscal rules if interest rates remain just 30 basis points higher than the fiscal watchdog forecasts, Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) economists have said. Giving evidence to the Treasury Committee, OBR member Tom Josephs told MPs that his colleagues conducted analysis that found “a change of [...]
Tax burden to rise to historic highs after Labour’s first Budget, OBR says October 30, 2024 "This budget delivers one of the largest increases in spending, tax and borrowing of any fiscal event in history," Richard Hughes, chair of the OBR said following the Budget.
Autumn Budget 2024: OBR forecasts how much economy will grow October 30, 2024 Forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility were published alongside the new government's first Budget.
Jeremy Hunt accuses OBR of making a ‘political intervention’ over Labour’s blackhole review October 28, 2024 Chancellor Rachel Reeves has used the supposed existence of the £22bn blackhole as a justification to hike taxes in Wednesday's Budget.