Andy Burnham has suggested that he wants his government to represent more than just a change in leadership. In his first speech as Prime Minister, he described the moment as a “circuit breaker for Britain” and promised “a new political model and a new economic model”.
Burnham has also emphasised the importance of collaboration between central, regional and local government, and the Chancellor has said the Budget will move money and power out of Westminster and into communities around Britain. The government has also confirmed that mayors will in future retain a greater share of locally generated revenue, beginning with business rates, with a roadmap for income tax retention expected at the Budget.
Therefore, devolution and regional growth may sit closer to the centre of the Budget than they have in previous fiscal events. However, John Healey has indicated that the Budget will comply with the government’s fiscal rules and retain a buffer against economic uncertainty.
The central question is therefore likely to be how the government reconciles its ambition for a new economic model with the practical limits imposed by borrowing, debt, inflation and economic growth.