‘Not the summit of my ambition’: Chancellor reflects on Budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has admitted that there is “more to do” as her historic Budget speech was accompanied by disappointing growth forecasts.
“The growth forecasts today are certainly not the summit of my ambition,” she told ITV’s Peston programme.
“This is the first Budget of this parliament, is there more to do? Absolutely.”
One of the key areas both she and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer pushed ahead of the general election was economic growth.
However, the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast suggests the increase in spending in the Budget will only provide a temporary boost to gross domestic product (GDP), calling it a “sugar rush”.
“There’s often criticism of governments that they make short term decisions reflecting the lifetime of a parliament, rather than long-term decisions to put our country on a better path,” Reeves explained.
“What the OBR say is that the long term impact of the decisions we’ve made today, particularly on investment, will boost GDP by 1.4%. That’s really welcome.”
‘The growth forecasts today are certainly not the summit of my ambition,’ the chancellor told ITV’s Peston
On health, the chancellor highlighted a £22.6 billion increase in the day-to-day health budget and a £3.1 billion increase in the capital budget.
“We have put an immediate injection of cash into our frontline public services, particularly our health service, but that’s got to be coupled with reform to make sure that the system works better,” she said.
Asked when the impact on the 6.7 million-long NHS waiting lists will begin to be felt, Reeves said: “A year into this government, people should expect those waiting lists to have declined and for us to have made progress on that 18-week target for the NHS.”
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Speaking on her historic position as the first female chancellor, she said: “I had my sister on the frontbench with me, and my mum was up in the gallery today, so there was a huge sense of pride certainly in the Reeves family.
“And I think across the country a message to women and girls that there should be no ceiling on their hopes, their dreams, and their ambitions.”
“This in a way is the last glass ceiling in British politics to be smashed and I’m really proud to play my part in that.”
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