Oral Answers to Questions

Richard Fuller Excerpts

Tuesday 8th April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Richard Fuller (North Bedfordshire) (Con)]

Two weeks ago, the spring statement rushed through changes to disability benefits, or “pocket money” to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, to help plug the £14 billion gap in public finances created by the first Labour Budget. Now we are already in the Office for Budget Responsibility’s scenario 2 on tariffs, and the Chancellor is once again forecast to be out of room on her fiscal targets. What does she plan to ask the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to do to update departmental budgets in his multi-year spending review in order to avoid punishing businesses and people once again with further taxes?

[Rachel Reeves]

The hon. Gentleman is jumping the gun somewhat. We delivered the spring statement just two weeks ago, in which we were able to restore the fiscal headroom after the change in global bond yields. We will set out the Budget in the autumn, moving to one fiscal event a year, which is very different from the multiple Budgets we had from the previous Government. We have set the spending totals for the spending review and we will be setting out the departmental allocations on 11 June.