Rachel Reeves began that task today, in an important Commons statement in which she said the Treasury had found a £22bn black hole in this year’s Budget left by the outgoing Conservative government. The chancellor announced £5.5bn of cuts in the current financial year, and £8.1bn in the next. Her headline-grabber was to end winter fuel payments for all but the poorest pensioners (those on pension credit or other means-tested benefits). She scrapped Tory plans to bring in a £86,000 cap for an individual’s lifetime social care costs, and a series of road and rail projects, while unfunded proposals for 40 “new hospitals”, originally promised by Boris Johnson, will be reviewed.
Andrew Grice is a political journalist who writes for The Independent, focusing on national politics in the United Kingdom. With a reputation for independent and free-thinking reporting, Andrew covers a range of political topics including elections, party leadership, and key political figures. His work has also been featured in Yahoo News UK.