Government spending budget set to be published next month

CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak will set out a one-year review of the government’s spending plans next month as he seeks to tackle the economic crisis caused by coronavirus.

The Treasury has announced a 2021-22 Spending Review will be published on 25 November, as the government prioritises its response to COVID-19 and strives to protect jobs.

It had previously been expected that the government would set out a multi-year spending review, but those plans have been thrown off course by the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Sunak said: “In the current environment its essential that we provide certainty.

“So we’ll be doing that for departments and all of the nations of the UK by setting budgets for next year, with a total focus on tackling COVID and delivering our ‘Plan for Jobs’.

“Long-term investment in our country’s future is the right thing to do, especially in areas which are the cornerstone of our society like the NHS, schools and infrastructure.

“We’ll make sure these areas crucial to our economic recovery have their budgets set for further years so they can plan and help us build back better.”