Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is set to unveil his much-anticipated Autumn Statement.
So what do we know so far - and what about those tax cuts, and plans for economic growth?
Chief Secretary to the Treasury Laura Trott has already raised expectations of a tax cut for households, as well as for businesses, after having Rishi Sunak’s goal to halve inflation this year.
In an interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, she signalled that Hunt is focused on “cutting taxes for individuals”, although gave no timeline.
Now, speculation’s growing it could be a reduction in National Insurance rather than income tax or inheritance tax - but nothing has been confirmed.
But it comes with the prospect of benefits cuts to fund easing the tax burden.
Cabinet minister Trott also wants hundreds of thousands not in jobs to work if they can, as the Government steps up action to get more people off benefits.
Mr Sunak has branded it a “national scandal” that around two million working-age Britons are not in employment.
About 12.7 per cent of working age Londoners are on out-of-work benefits, figures show.
In this episode of the Standard podcast, we examine the government’s financials and the Conservatives’ pre-election policy gymnastics, with Evening Standard political editor Nicholas Cecil and Jo Michell, professor of economics at the University of the West of England’s Bristol Business School.
We discuss why economic “head room” does not equal cash in the bank, Labour’s ‘Blairite’ economic positioning and whether there’s anything left to cut from the benefits budget after the Cameron-Osborne austerity years.
Listen above, or wherever you stream your podcasts.
