Prime Minister Keir Starmer has made clear that the upcoming Budget on Wednesday will involve “tough stuff” as the government seeks to tackle the country’s economic challenges. In a pre-Budget speech, Starmer acknowledged that “nobody wants tax rises, least of all me,” but said the government must take “difficult decisions now” to fix the foundations and pave the way for future investment and reform.
Starmer warned he could not give a “cast iron guarantee” that there would be no further tax adjustments in future Budgets, saying the government simply does not know what lies ahead. However, he insisted the purpose of this week’s Budget is to “take the tough decisions” and allow the country to “rebuild” thereafter.
The Prime Minister defended the need for tax increases, saying “this is not 1997” and the government faces “unprecedented circumstances” with both weak public finances and strained public services. He promised to “defend our tough decisions all day long,” arguing it is the “right thing for our country” to get the investment it needs.
Starmer sought to reassure the public, saying the Budget will not cause a return to the “chaos that sent mortgages soaring” under the previous Conservative government. He said there will be “no return to the austerity that hampered growth and hollowed out our public services.”
The Prime Minister will deliver a speech later today, where he is expected to say the Budget will embrace the “harsh light of fiscal reality” but that “better days are ahead” for Britain.
