PM's Tax Pledge Under Scrutiny Ahead of Crucial Budget
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has declared it is "important that politicians stick to their word", even as he repeatedly refused to rule out breaking Labour's manifesto commitment not to raise taxes on working people. The comments came during his visit to the G20 summit in South Africa, where he was pressed 12 times during a broadcast interview to recommit to his party's pre-election promises.
Budget Looms Amid Economic Pressure
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is widely expected to announce tax rises in her Budget on November 26, as she grapples with a multi-billion-pound black hole in the government's spending plans. The fiscal statement comes against a "very difficult backdrop", with Sir Keir pointing to years of austerity, a "botched" Brexit deal, the pandemic, and the Ukraine war as contributing factors.
Ms Reeves faces a perfect storm of economic challenges, including weak growth, persistent inflation, and an anticipated downgrade to official productivity forecasts. The situation worsened on Friday when official figures revealed Government borrowing was £3 billion higher in October than the Office for Budget Responsibility had predicted.
Chancellor's Frustration and Fiscal Reality
In a revealing interview, the Chancellor admitted Britain cannot continue to "muddle through" and must take "a different path" on the economy. She expressed frustration with her critics, stating she was "sick of people mansplaining how to be Chancellor to me" and suggested some of the criticism was motivated by sexism from "boys who now write newspaper columns".
Ms Reeves highlighted the difficult trade-offs facing the government, noting: "Borrowing is too high, but you can’t cut it overnight. Public services are a mess, but we haven’t got loads of money to throw at them." She questioned those calling for tax cuts, asking "what spending would they cut?" while admitting she was "not even sure any more what the popular path is" given the conflicting advice from different political factions.
Downing Street later defended the Chancellor, with the Prime Minister's spokesman highlighting his commitment to equality and women's rights, and noting the Cabinet contains "a number of extremely able, powerful women in key positions".
