For the first Labour budget in 14 years, this was pretty good and I don’t even feel it necessary to add the caveat “in the circumstances”. It was a rare case of a politician under-promising and delivering more positivity than was advertised.
Importantly, it was easily recognisable as a Labour budget which contained a lot of items that would not have happened without change. That really is the test, large and small. It was also a Scottish budget which will deliver a stack of new money, both capital and revenue, which must now be spent well, and that cannot be taken for granted.
This time, please let’s see every penny of Barnett consequentials being used for their intended purpose, particularly in relation to the NHS. And while the Chancellor cannot impose reforms in Scotland as a condition for extra money, the truth is that they are every bit as necessary here as elsewhere in the UK.
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SNP Government could feel aggrieved at Scottish businesses’ views
“Responsibility” was the Budget watchword and Rachel Reeves cut a more than credible figure. As a former Bank of England economist, she conveys economic authority which always helps with a Chancellor of the Exchequer. After she had set out the fiscal realities in politically brutal terms, her opponents fared poorly in rebuttal.
Responsibility and realism are all very well, but what about another important “r” to a Labour audience – redistributionism? As Ms Reeves said, “change must be felt” as well as evidenced through speeches and numbers. Here too, there was plenty to take encouragement from........