Leaders | Reeves’s first rodeo

Britain’s budget risks being a huge missed opportunity

Rachel Reeves looks set to please no one for little return

A person holds a red briefcase, the handles are broken and the suitcase is falling
Illustration: Vincent Kilbride

MANY politicians would kill to be in Rachel Reeves’s position. For her first budget on October 30th, Britain’s chancellor has the benefit of an unassailably large majority in Parliament, a leaderless opposition and almost five years before the next election—enough time for even slow-burn policies to start winning over voters. If there were ever a moment to reshape how tax and spending work in Britain in support of the government’s self-professed aim of igniting growth, this is it.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “A huge missed opportunity?”

From the October 19th 2024 edition

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