"Today Rachel Reeves is engaged in a classic piece of pitch rolling. But her task is more daunting. She won't be flattening the odd bump; she has to shift some colossal PR obstacles, which is more a task for a fleet of JCB diggers. That is because, when she delivers the budget three weeks tomorrow, she will have to fill fiscal gap reportedly as high as 30bn. That means tax rises, which are never an easy sell."
"But it also means going back on the promise she made to the CBI last year when she said she would not need to raise taxes again on the scale she did in autumn 2024. And there seems to be a very real chance that she will also decide to raise income tax, which would be a direct breach of a promise Labour made in its election manifesto."
David Cameron coined the term pitch rolling to describe preparing the public for difficult announcements. Rachel Reeves is executing a major example of pitch rolling ahead of a budget in three weeks. The budget faces a reported fiscal gap as high as £30bn, which will likely require tax rises. Potential measures could include income tax increases, reversing previous promises to the CBI and breaking a Labour manifesto pledge. Reeves gives an important speech at 8.10am. The day's agenda includes Starmer chairing cabinet, ONS crime data at 9.30am, speeches and committee evidence, and Commons questions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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