Britain’s budget choices are not as bad as the government says
It has more room for manoeuvre than it lets on
The mood music from Britain’s new government about its first budget has been a funeral dirge. “There’s a budget coming in October and it’s going to be painful,” Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister, warned in August. “The road ahead is steeper and harder than we expected,” said Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, at the Labour Party’s conference on September 23rd. A day later Sir Keir invoked “the iron law of properly funding policies”.
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This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Loosening the chains”
Britain September 28th 2024
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From the September 28th 2024 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
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How the idea of false consciousness conquered the governing party
The best British companies to work for to get ahead
A new ranking of firms by pay, promotions and hiring practices
How the best British employers find and promote their staff
No degree? Some employers care much less than others
A tiny island fights the scourge of plastic on the beach
A Northern Irish experiment in recycling
A sticking-plaster policy for Britain’s strained courts
Magistrates get more power. Will they get punch-drunk on it?