Downing Street has opened the door for Labour to break its election promises and raise taxes in the Budget, as chancellor Rachel Reeves told critics in the party to stop peddling the “dangerous” idea that she can relax fiscal discipline.
Darren Jones, the prime minister’s chief secretary, refused to rule out the possibility that Reeves would break Labour’s manifesto vow not to increase income tax, value added tax or national insurance rates. He told Sky News: “The manifesto stands today because decisions haven’t been taken yet.
“I’m not ruling anything out and I’m not ruling anything in,” he added. “Today, the manifesto stands.”
Earlier Reeves told a restive Labour conference in Liverpool to “have faith”, arguing that the only route to the party’s priorities and a strong economy was to maintain the confidence of the markets.
While ministers often use their conference speech to address an audience outside the hall, Reeves’ message was aimed squarely at internal critics who believe she should relax her fiscal rules to boost spending.
Sir Keir Starmer will today back his chancellor as he warns the party in his keynote speech to brace itself for decisions that are “not cost-free or easy”.
Information
- Show
- FrequencyUpdated daily
- Published17 November 2025 at 00:00 UTC
- Length1 min
- Episode1
- RatingClean
