The world has changed, said the chancellor – and hours later it did, again. It is a phrase that has become a familiar one at Westminster in the last few days and the line used to justify the shift in priorities and spending cuts Rachel Reeves announced in her Spring Statement. When folk in government […]

Treasury minister Darren Jones has apologised after he used the example of pocket money when talking about benefits cuts for disabled people. Jones, who is deputy to Rachel Reeves, was defending welfare cuts on the BBC’s Politics Live after the Spring Statement when he made the gaffe. Government analysis suggests more than three million families […]

There has been some unease in Labour’s ranks over the planned savings in the welfare budget. The government’s newly published assessment of the impact of the changes has increased that anxiety. The contents – with its estimates of increased poverty levels – show that talk of difficult decisions is not mere ministerial sloganeering. While polls suggest tackling […]

The UK will not be “jumping into a trade war” with the US over Donald Trump’s plans to place 25% import taxes on cars entering America, the prime minister has said. The government is trying to avoid tariffs, set to come into effect on 2 April, through “intense negotiations” with US counterparts, Sir Keir Starmer […]

Men are prepared to sacrifice family lives for successful careers in a way many women aren’t, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said. Speaking at an event in Parliament, Farage argued people should be judged on merit in the workplace, not on certain characteristics. When asked whether most top jobs would go to white men […]

Taxes may have to rise in the autumn, economists have warned, despite big benefit cuts and spending reductions in Wednesday’s Spring Statement. The Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank said Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s headroom to deal with economic risks, like Donald Trump’s tariffs, was “very small”. Director Paul Johnson said there was a “good chance” […]

Rachel Reeves has said she will not accept free concert tickets again, following a backlash over her attendance at a Sabrina Carpenter gig. She has repeatedly defended her decision to accept tickets worth £600 for her and a family member to watch the American singer from a box at London’s O2 arena. She argued it […]

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out her plans for the UK economy in her Spring Statement and is on track to meet her self-imposed rules on the public finances, which she has said are “non-negotiable”. On the face of it, that sounds like a good thing. So why are people saying that she may struggle […]

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has set out her plans for the UK economy during her Spring Statement in the House of Commons. It came as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) – which monitors the government’s spending plans – unveiled its latest economic forecasts. Here is a summary of the main points. Welfare changes Economic forecasts […]