Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Geneva Abdul

Budget 2024: what the UK papers said about Rachel Reeves’s statement

Rachel Reeves United Kingdom Britain Daily Mail
Budget newspapers
There were plenty of Halloween references in the British press’s coverage of the budget. Composite: Dan Kitwood/Getty; various

After Rachel Reeves’s first budget as chancellor, which included £40bn in tax rises, newspaper headlines in the UK featured “nightmare” and “horror show” allusions as it came a day before Halloween.

The Financial Times front page featured a picture of smiling Reeves headlined “Reeves unveils £40bn budget tax rise”. The paper reported the chancellor’s aims of fixing public services, and the “broken” finances, saying businesses and the wealthy would “bear bulk” of the “heaviest fiscal burden” in a generation.

The Daily Telegraph ran with “Nightmare on Downing Street” reporting a £40bn tax raid that it said would lead to stagnating pay and lower living standards. A cartoon Reeves fronts the paper, holding a jack-o’-lantern in place of the ministerial red box.

The Times headlined on “A record tax burden”, writing that Reeves signalled a £32bn annual surge in public borrowing, and economists warning of a stall in growth after the Office for Budget Responsibility, a non-departmental public body funded by the Treasury, downgraded their forecast.

The Guardian splashed on “Return of tax and spend” along with a picture of Reeves with the red box used for official ministerial papers.

The Daily Mail front page also featured a picture of Reeves, dominated by its headline “Reeves’ £40bn tax bombshell for Britain’s strivers”. The paper listed ways to “beat the budget”, and said “the record hike” would hammer businesses and pensions, increase borrowing under a “public spending splurge” that would hit wages and stall growth.

The Sun splashed with “At least she kept it down at the PUMPkins!” with a pumpkin-head Reeves, writing that “frightful … Rachel Reeves gave Britain a Halloween shock”.

The i headlined on “Reeves’ great £40bn tax gamble” and reported that the watchdog said the national insurance “burden on businesses” would hit jobs, amid an increase in borrowing.

The Mirror called the budget historic, using the same image of Reeves with the customary red briefcase. It headlined with “Spending power” and reported on “record” cash to transform the health service and schools, a carer boost and other plans to “rebuild Britain”.

The Express headlined its splash “Halloween Horror Show”, reporting that Reeves had left Britain with the “highest ever tax burden” in a “Halloween shocker of a budget”.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
DIL Wastes 2 Weeks Slogging Over Cooking Based On MIL’s Diet, MIL Actually Faked It All
Mother-in-law creates fake list of dietary restrictions that daughter-in-law only learns about after 2 weeks of cooking. The post DIL Wastes 2 Weeks Slogging Over Cooking Based On MIL’s Diet, MIL Actually Faked It All first appeared on Bored Panda.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Why Carnival, Royal Caribbean will skip a popular event
Passengers on both cruise lines might be very disappointed — but there's a workaround.
The Street
The Street
Alexithymia: why some people find it so hard to identify emotions, and how this affects them
Alexithymia is a term you may not have heard before. But it describes something many people experience: difficulties in identifying, distinguishing and expressing emotions. It affects how people engage with their emotions at work, in relationships and even within themselves. It may also change how a person analyses their surroundings…
The Conversation
The Conversation
The Simpsons bizarrely predicted 2024 election map
'The Simpsons' is known for predicting historical moments and an election map used in a 2000 episode is wildly similar to the 2024 presidential election voting map.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
37 Handsome Guys Who’ll Redefine Your Concept Of Older Men
Check out our gallery of handsome men over 50 who are aging like top-shelf wine! These gentlemen will shake up all your misconceptions about getting older. The post 37 Handsome Guys Who’ll Redefine Your Concept Of Older Men first appeared on Bored Panda.
Bored Panda
Bored Panda
Squid Game season 3 "naturally" feels like the finale of the Netflix show: "We don’t need any further stories from here"
Season 3 releases in 2025
Total Film
Total Film
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play