Rachel Reeves in crisis as cabinet civil war blocks spending review plans
Rachel Reeves faces crisis as cabinet conflicts threaten to block spending plans
- Chancellor Rachel Reeves faces a crisis as cabinet conflicts threaten to block her spending plans, with disagreements over proposed cuts to housing and police force budgets.
- Yvette Cooper and Angela Rayner are pushing back against budget cuts, leading to a stalemate with the Treasury just 48 hours before Reeves is due to unveil the spending review.
- Cabinet minister Peter Kyle refused to rule out real-terms spending cuts to the police force and housing budget, while the Ministry of Housing is reportedly resisting such cuts.
- The social housing sector is warning of a potential crisis if funding cuts proceed, with concerns about a "cliff edge" in building more homes and councils already running deficits on housing budgets.
- Senior police chiefs have cautioned that Keir Starmer's pledge to cut crime will be unattainable without significant investment, citing new online threats and pressures from prison overcrowding.