Reeves under pressure

RACHEL Reeves has repeatedly declined to guarantee that there will be no more borrowing or tax rises following her first Budget, as MPs pressed the Chancellor on her previous pledge.

In the House of Commons yesterday, shadow chancellor Mel Stride asked whether Downing Street has "changed its mind", or if Ms Reeves "spoke without thinking" when she told business chiefs that she would not repeat her Budget hikes.

At the Confederation of British Industry conference in November, the Chancellor sought to reassure business leaders there would be no repeat of the £40 billion tax hikes announced in her first Budget, insisting that the public finances had been put on a stable footing and services would now have to live within their means.

"I'm really clear, I'm not coming back with more borrowing or more taxes," she said.