2) Which public services are getting a boost …
For all Reeves’ talk of fiscal restraint and tough decisions, the U.K.’s top finance minister has insisted Britain won’t see a fresh round of the austerity in public services that defined the Conservatives’ time in office.
Instead, they’ve promised £1.4 billion to help rebuild crumbling schools, a big expansion in government funded-childcare, and, most notably, extra cash for the struggling, state-funded National Health Service.
While Reeves will confirm the final NHS figure Wednesday, the Treasury has already promised £1.5 billion to help cut waiting lists and £70 million for new radiotherapy machines. The party has promised to deliver an extra 40,000 hospital appointments and procedures every week, although Health Secretary Wes Streeting is trying to temper expectations by telling voters the service’s woes won’t be fixed in a single budget. Health bosses say the amounts being talked about will keep things ticking over, but won’t be a game-changer.
While Rachel Reeves will confirm the final NHS figure Wednesday, the Treasury has already promised £1.5 billion to help cut waiting lists and £70 million for new radiotherapy machines. | Carl Court/Getty Images
The new government could also choose to hike defense spending. Labour agreed with the Tories that Britain’s defense spend needs to rise to 2.5 percent of GDP, but studiously avoided putting a date on that pledge. With Donald Trump eyeing the White House next week and urging NATO members to pull their weight, more detail could smooth the special relationship.
More broadly, polling suggests Brits don’t think the country’s public services are in good shape. The real test Wednesday will be whether a country that’s already heavily taxed by historical standards is willing to stump up extra funds to pay for them.
3) … and which services are getting shafted?
Not every Cabinet minister will be left satisfied by Reeves’ pronouncements. Alongside the extra cash in key areas, the chancellor has made clear she wants government departments to make productivity and efficiency savings of 2 percent.