The Budget: Reeves dodges tough calls to calm City
‘Labour’s plans to spend more on the NHS, schools and housing welcome. But budget falls far short of what a real government for workers should do’
RACHEL REEVES ducked difficult decisions today but calmed Labour MPs in a Budget aimed above all at appeasing the City.
The statement, the first ever to be presented by a female chancellor, relied heavily on manipulating debt rules but appeared enough to stabilise a government enduring a catastrophic fall in public approval.
She won the loudest back-bench cheers for a commitment to put over £22 billion into the NHS for day-to-day spending, with more for rebuilding hospitals on top.
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The first Budget of the Labour government falls far short of addressing Wales’s needs, maintaining austerity-era policies while providing inadequate funding for critical services and infrastructure, writes LUKE FLETCHER MS
