Budget 2024 – latest: Fears grow over Reeves’ ‘£40bn target’ as MPs plead with Starmer to intervene

Several ministers have reportedly written to Number 10 urging the prime minister to soften departmental spending cuts laid out in the upcoming Budget.

The requests have gone over the head of Rachel Reeves, who is reportedly looking to find around £40bn in tax rises and spending cuts on 30 October.

It is an embarrassing show of disunity for the prime minister, indicating that ministers and Ms Reeves may not be seeing eye-to-eye on departmental budgets.

It’s understood that the complaints have come from the Ministry of Housing, Department for Transport, Ministry of Justice. Unlike health and education, these departments have ‘unprotected’ budgets, meaning they could see severe cuts.

One Cabinet minister told Sky News: “The briefing doesn’t match the reality. It’s pain this year, and pain next year. We’re simply going to be digging a hole which we end up filling in later in the year.”

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backlash from Angela Rayner and his cabinet over “huge” cuts to departmental spending to be unveiled in Rachel Reeves’ Budget.

The prime minister has received letters from senior ministers raising concerns about the spending cuts after a number spoke out against the measures at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting.

In its election manifesto, Labour said it was committed to reforming the current business rates system “so we can raise the same revenue but in a fairer way”.

What this means has not been spelt out by the party, but it said the new system will be designed to “level the playing field between the high street and online giants, better incentivise investment, tackle empty properties and support entrepreneurship”.

It’s thought this could take the form of an immediate cut to the rates, while also closing loopholes which allow some firms to avoid tax. This will come as welcome news to smaller business owners, but Labour will be careful to ensure their reform maintains a monetary net zero.

Exchequer secretary James Murray MP confirmed this at a Labour conference fringe event hosted by the British Retail Consortium, saying: “It’s within the current envelope. It’s all about raising the same amount of money overall, that’s the commitment.”

Inflation has dropped below 2 per cent for the first time in over three years, raising hopes that the Bank will cut interest rates in November. The decrease exceeded many economist predictions, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) falling to 1.7 per cent

But some experts have warned that the rate drop is “badly timed” for many people, as it will be a key factor in how much benefits are uprated by the DWP next April.

Fuel duties, or taxes, apply to purchases of petrol, diesel and a variety of other fuels used both for vehicles and domestic heating.

The level of fuel duty depends on the type of fuel used, with a litre of petrol, diesel, biodiesel and bioethanol attracting a fuel duty of 52.95p. It was cut by 5p by the Conservatives in 2022, after being frozen at 57.95p since 2011.

It represents a significant source of revenue for the government, expected to raise £24.7 billion in 2023-24, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility – equivalent to 2.2 per cent of all receipts.

Scrapping the 5p cut would raise the government an estimated £2bn. However, doing so would not automatically force fuel retailers to bring down their costs, likely meaning higher fees for motorists, at least in the short term.

Rachel Reeves has been boosted by a sharp drop in inflation as she seeks to find £40bn of tax hikes and spending cuts in this month’s Budget.

The chancellor will welcome the dip, which saw inflation fall under the Bank of England’s 2 per cent target for the first time in more than three years, as she prepares for what promises to be a brutal Budget.

Labour has made no secret of its ambition to reduce the government’s welfare spending bill, so Ms Reeves will likely take the Budget as her opportunity to do so.

Speaking at Labour’s party conference, the prime minister said: “We will get the welfare bill down because we will tackle long-term sickness and support people back to work.”

What has been confirmed is a crackdown on benefit fraud, which looks to save £1.6bn over the next five years. Also possible is the mooted reform to disability benefits through personal independence payments (PIP) or the work capability assessment (WCA).

We would like to hear your thoughts on what you would like to see introduced in Reeves’ Budget. Should she focus on measures to support homeowners, such as the Freedom to Buy scheme? Or would you prefer a focus on closing tax loopholes, such as abolishing non-dom status, to ensure a fairer tax system?

Inflation has dropped below 2 per cent for the first time in over three years, raising hopes that the Bank will cut interest rates in November. The decrease exceeded many economist predictions, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) falling to 1.7 per cent

But some experts have warned that the rate drop is “badly timed” for many people, as it will be a key factor in how much benefits are uprated by the DWP next April.

In an open letter published in The Independent, Mervyn King warns the chancellor against higher borrowing

“Be courageous, be bold, and ensure that the economic inheritance we leave to our grandchildren is one of which both they and we can be proud.

“One day, you will look back on your time as chancellor and you will want to remember the far-reaching changes you made – not the political compromises that others will urge on you.”