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’
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves leaves 11 Downing Street, London, with her ministerial red box and the Treasury team before delivering her Budget in the Houses of Parliament, October 30, 2024
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
