Mon, 29 Sep 2025

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 Reeves warns of harder choices to come as she hints at tax rises

The chancellor says choices have been made "harder" by international events and the "long-term damage" done to the economy.

* The government is facing difficult choices due to international events and long-term economic damage
* The chancellor promised to keep taxes, inflation, and interest rates as low as possible
* She hinted at further tax rises in November's Budget, citing the need to meet self-imposed borrowing rules
* Reeves criticized previous Conservative governments for their handling of the economy and accused Liz Truss of sending mortgage costs "spiralling"
* She warned against abandoning economic responsibility and castigated Labour mayor Andy Burnham for suggesting otherwise
* The chancellor urged Labour activists to take pride in what they are achieving and listed some key party pledges, including recruiting new neighbourhood police and opening school breakfast clubs
* Reeves faced pressure from some Labour MPs to increase spending, with calls to scrap the two-child benefit cap and abandon plans to cut benefits by nearly £5bn
* The chancellor used her speech to criticize Reform UK and its leader Nigel Farage, calling them a threat to working people's living standards.
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