UK finance minister Rachel Reeves is signalling she will raise taxes in her budget, arguing the economy is sicker than the government knew when it took office.
Reeves gave a highly unusual speech, three weeks before the November 26 budget, to brace voters and financial markets for the likelihood she will break an election pledge not to increase income taxes or sales tax.
“If we are to build the future of Britain together, we will all have to contribute to that effort,” she said on Tuesday, in a hint at broad tax increases.
“Each of us must do our bit for the security of our country and the brightness of its future.”
Reeves cited interest payments on the UK’s Stg2.6 trillion ($A5.2 trillion) national debt and a lower-than-expected productivity assessment from the government’s economic forecaster as factors behind her decisions.
“The productivity performance that we inherited from the last government is weaker than we first thought,” Reeves said.
“We’re putting in more, we’re getting out less.”
On top of that, “the world has thrown even more challenges our way”, including US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, volatile supply chains and a rise in the cost of government borrowing, she said.
While many of the economic challenges are global, Reeves said Britain was especially exposed because of high debt left by “years of economic mismanagement” under the Conservative Party that was in power for 14 years until 2024.
The British economy, the sixth largest in the world, has underperformed its long-run average since the global financial crisis of 2008-09, and the centre-left Labour Party government elected in July 2024 has struggled to deliver the economic growth it promised.
Inflation remains stubbornly high and growth sluggish, frustrating efforts to repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living.
Critics say Reeves has made things worse by being overly downbeat and increasing taxes on businesses in the 2024 budget.
Reeves’ speech provided no details of what taxes she plans to raise.
She said the budget would deliver “growth and fairness” and would focus on strengthening the overstretched public health service, reducing the national debt and getting inflation down to improve the cost of living.
As well as preparing for a budget with huge implications for the country and government, Reeves has faced criticism after a newspaper reported last week that she had broken the law by renting out her London house without a license from the local authority.
She apologised for what she called an inadvertent mistake, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he would not take action.
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