Darren Jones says some pre-Budget leaks have been ‘unacceptable, and not very helpful’
darren jonesThe Cabinet Office minister and chief secretary to the Prime Minister admitted this morning that some pre-Budget leaks have angered Number 10.
Jones was on the interview rounds for the government this morning and when asked about the budget leak he told LBC:
There have been some leaks which are unacceptable and not very helpful.
We will have to read the Riot Act to the people in the government about this.
Jones appears to have been referring specifically to the Financial Times story which revealed that Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer had decided not to raise income tax in the budget, which would be a breach of a manifesto promise, even though they had clearly indicated last week that they would do so.
While some pre-Budget stories that appear in the media are the product of official briefings, the FT story was not approved and, even if it was true – rather, especially because it was true – it was not something No 10 did not want to reveal at the time.
Reeves says budget will include ‘fair and necessary’ options
Thus treasure The budget was summarized in a news release issued last night. This refers to budget measures that have already been officially announced, as well as what Rachel Reeves says her priorities are.
(The Budget) will include action to cut NHS waiting lists, cut debt and borrowing, and cut the cost of living to secure a strong future for a country built on fairness and driven by growth.
This Budget has already confirmed plans to put more money in people’s pockets by keeping the cost of prescriptions below £10, freezing rail fares for the first time in 30 years and increasing the national minimum wage and national living wage by £1,500 and £900 respectively.
Investment for 250 neighborhood health centers has also been confirmed as part of the Chancellor’s commitment to further reduce NHS waiting lists and end the postcode lottery of health care access.
And here’s a quote from reeves,
Today I will make the appropriate and necessary choices to fulfill my promise of change.
I will not return Britain to austerity nor lose control of public spending by borrowing recklessly.
I will take action to help families with the cost of living…reduce hospital waiting lists…reduce the national debt.
And I will lead the biggest development campaign in a generation.
Investment in roads, rail and energy. Investment in housing, security and defence. Investing in education, skills and training.
So together, we can build a fairer, stronger and more secure Britain.
Good morning. Budgets fall into two categories – reset ones and continuation ones. Continuity budgets are more common (or at least they were until British politics went into almost permanent crisis mode), and resets tend to occur shortly after an election, or when there is a change of chancellor. Budget reset is more interesting (but the way journalists use the term is interesting, when what they really mean is ‘bad news’). This time last year Rachel Reeves thought Budget 2025 would be one of continuity, but instead it has turned into a huge reset challenge – and, indeed, an event with the potential to make or break the Keir Starmer premiership.
Here’s our overnight preview story.
The stakes are especially high because anyone who has spent time talking to Labor MPs in recent weeks believes there is a possibility that, by this time next year, Starmer could be out of office. There are probably good reasons why this shouldn’t happen, but the idea that it could happen is not absurd. That’s one reason why so much is at stake.
We have discussed the reasons for this in detail over the past few months and there is no need to rehearse them here. For what to expect in the budget Richard Partington Here’s a good article explaining the context.
And, in our first edition newsletter, Phoebe Weston Here’s a guide on what to expect.
I will focus specifically on the Budget today (apart from covering PMQs) and Graeme WeardenAny business who writes live blog will join me. As always, we’ll be covering the speech minute-by-minute, bringing you your reaction and analysis, and diving into the budget documents to find the passages Reeves didn’t mention in his speech.
Here is the timetable for the day.
at 9 am: Keir Starmer chairs the Cabinet, where Rachel Reeves will brief colleagues on the budget.
Afternoon: Starmer faced Kemi Badenoch in PMQs.
12.30 P.M: Reeves distributes the budget. Kemi Badenoch responds on behalf of the Conservative Party.
2.30 pm: Richard Hughes, chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility, held a press conference.
Afternoon: Starmer and Reeves are scheduled to speak to staff at a hospital where they will raise questions about the budget.
4 pm: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage holds a post-budget press conference.
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