Millions of Britons will have to make ‘sacrifices’ and pay more tax under new plans to rescue the economy.
Jeremy Hunt warned he will have to make “horrible” decisions when he unveils his crunch Autumn statement on Thursday.
Branding himself as “Scrooge” trying to save family Christmases, the Chancellor confessed “everyone will be paying more tax”.
But he is expected to reveal a raft of unpopular measures that will hit families across the UK – including spending cuts of about £35 billion and plans to raise £20 billion in tax.
But he also hinted that NHS funding could be safe from cross-government cuts.
He said the under-pressure health service was “part of the solution” to getting the economy back to growth by reducing the number of people off on long-term sick leave.
He also hinted that the triple Lock on pensions could be reinstated as pointed out “there is a lot of pensioner poverty.”
Some Conservative MPs have warned against increasing taxes, with former party leader Iain Duncan Smith telling Sky News it could lead to a “deeper” recession.
Mr Hunt told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: “I believe we can make a tremendous success of it, but it’s not going to happen automatically.
“Asked if he denies Brexit has slowed economic growth at home, Mr Hunt said: “What I don’t accept is the premise that Brexit will make us poorer.
“He said he does not think Brexit is the “biggest issue” with the UK’s economic performance, adding: “I think it’s much more to do with other factors in the labour market.
“Labour’s shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said the chancellor could still make “fair choices” in the autumn statement that do not place the burden on the public by closing tax loopholes and backdating the windfall tax on energy companies’ profits to January and extending it by two years.
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Source: Millions of Britons braced for Hunt’s ‘horrible decisions’ in looming crunch statement
