Government wins vote but watered-down measures will leave a multibillion-pound hole in public finances
Chancellor is being pushed to bend her rules on borrowing to fund higher spending
Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall to set out changes to bill as Keir Starmer tries to reassert his authority
Downing Street counts political and financial cost after initial response fanned flames of unrest
Opponents of government bill seek to pressure ministers into making changes to benefit reforms
Chancellor’s comments come despite US pressure on Nato countries to rapidly boost their militaries
UK chancellor warned ‘something important may have to give’ to fill expected fiscal hole
Windfall in form of ‘patriotic gift’ comes as Chancellor Rachel Reeves strives to balance books
The UK government must now show it can turn investment into growth
History of optimistic official outlooks fuels concern that Rachel Reeves will struggle to achieve goal of eliminating deficit
Labour party’s approach to managing the public finances has been too haphazard
But fund warns that slim government headroom makes tax or spending measures necessary ‘if shocks arise’
National Institute of Economic and Social Research says targets have become a drag on growth
Overshoot of ￡15bn puts pressure on Rachel Reeves to raise taxes as PMI figures indicate falling private sector confidence
There is nothing accountable or legitimate about unelected officials setting taxation and spending policy
The government must embark on a much more radical programme of structural reforms
Chancellor criticised over decision to stick with ￡9.9bn of budgetary headroom
Office for Budget Responsibility warns a global trade war risks eliminating UK chancellor’s fiscal headroom
UK chancellor sets out welfare cuts and departmental spending squeeze, but she may be forced to raise taxes in autumn
Official forecasts show how easily Reeves’ plan could run into trouble
The government needs to make bold choices ahead of the autumn Budget
History suggests the OBR may, once again, have been persuaded to be too optimistic at a time of global turmoil
UK chancellor forced to make last-minute savings to shore up the nation’s finances
UK gross government debt rose from 85.7% of GDP in 2019 to 101.8% in 2024
The chancellor’s Spring Statement must draw lessons from October’s flawed Budget
