Reeves defends Budget tax and spending choices as ‘fair and necessary’

Rachel Reeves defended her recent Budget as “fair and necessary”, saying more of the economic “burden” of her decisions should fall on the wealthy.

In an interview with The Guardian, she said she had made choices to increase taxes and improve public infrastructure, and had “chosen to protect public spending”.

“I wasn’t willing to cut public services, because people voted for change at the election,” she said.

Ahead of the Budget, warnings suggested that Rachel Reeves could face a fiscal gap of up to £20 billion in meeting her self-imposed rule of not borrowing for day-to-day spending.

The debate intensified after the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revealed on Friday it had informed the Chancellor as early as September 17 that the gap was likely smaller than initially expected.