Concerns about the spending cuts have been raised across different Government departments, the PA news agency understands. Several senior ministers were reported to have voiced concerns at Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting about Treasury proposals to reduce some departments’ spending by as much as 20%, according to the Times newspaper, and have since followed up with formal letters to the Prime Minister. Rachel Reeves told ministers during Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that plans to fill what Labour calls a “£22 billion black hole” in the UK’s finances will be enough only to “keep public services standing still”. Experts have argued that ministers need to find £20 billion to avoid a squeeze on so-called “unprotected” departments pencilled in by their Tory predecessors, and billions more to prevent a sharp fall in investment spending. “We were honest with the British public, both during the election and since, about the scale of the challenge that we would receive.

Source: The Times October 16, 2024 22:04 UTC