Should the government scale back its spending plans in this month’s Budget?
The UK government is preparing for the Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026, where Chancellor John Healey will set tax and spending plans for the coming years. Current spending is guided by the 2025 Spending Review, with total managed expenditure forecast to rise to around 44.9% of GDP by 2027-28 before declining, and departmental budgets already set for 2026-27 with real-terms growth in areas like infrastructure, farming and flood defences. The government operates under fiscal rules requiring day-to-day spending to be funded without additional borrowing by the end of the parliament and for debt to fall as a share of national income.
35 Opinions
When you are borrowing money to pay the interest on money you already owe you are screwed. Borrowing money should nly be for investing in capital projects. Good help us when the recession hits.
The more this government continues to live beyond its means, the more we have to pay to sustain our growing national debt.
Any organisation that cannot cut 10% from its spending is not fit for purpose.
As a country, we are insolvent. Government spending needs to fall significantly. Rather than go after useful services, why don't we cut the Westminster waste: reduce MPs pay, expense allowances and pension scheme? There's only 650 people max who would support the status quo.
The country is still battling stubborn inflation , rising rates and debt payments there's no quantative easing their way out of it. The government should not be committing to more excessive spending when the global economy is struggling.
Yes. Government is far too large. There are limited things that only HMG can potentially do well: defence; providing a court system; generating job destroying regulation. There are many things it can’t do well and shouldn’t try to: run trains; run electricity generating and connection companies; setting wages; providing welfare charity; allocating resources etc etc. Government should be no more than 20% of GDP. Edited
Isn't amazing how we always money for tax breaks & wars but never enough to do what needs doing. This country is knee deep in money and the majority of it is sitting with the very people telling you we can't afford it. Tax the rich tax the billionaires tax the corporations.
Yes why not cut foreign aid that would save us a lot of money
There's no getting away from how far spending is out of control. The sooner we reduce the less painful it will be.
Capital expenditure creates jobs for construction, the supply chain and future employment from opportunities created by the new infrastructure. It’s welfare that needs cut which can only happen if there are jobs. This makes jobs.