Key events
What should we expect from Hunt’s speech?
Phillip Inman
Jeremy Hunt will defend the government’s vision for Britain’s economic future in his speech, as he lays out plans for investment and growth.
The chancellor will say he wants to promote policies that allow the private sector to retool the UK’s industrial base and reskill the workforce to generate strong growth over the next decade.
A low-tax base will be an essential element of the UK’s attraction for foreign and domestic businesses, he will say.
He is also expected to condemn British “declinism”, which he will claim is being “peddled” by the Labour party, according to the Daily Mail. Hunt will insist negative forecasts from experts “do not reflect the whole picture”, it reports.
The chancellor will also make “the case for optimism”, blaming EU red tape for stifling British investment. The UK formally left the EU three years ago.
Chancellor to set out economic plans in speech
Good morning.
The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is due to set out the government’s vision for the future of the UK economy this morning in a speech to city executives in London.
Hunt is expected deliver an upbeat message, saying: “Declinism about Britain was wrong in the past and it is wrong today.”
But despite the optimistic tone, the chancellor is also expected to continue to resist calls from some Tory MPs for tax cuts to kick-start flagging economic growth.
Instead he will say the UK should exploit the opportunities provided by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU to raise productivity while using the proceeds of growth to support public services.
His address comes after a Cabinet away day at Chequers on Thursday, where the Chancellor said ministers they must maintain their “disciplined approach” if they are to get inflation under control.
The speech is due to start at 9.20am GMT and you can watch and follow it here.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Angela Rayner are due to meet front-line health workers as the row over NHS jobs and pay continues.
We’ll bring you updates from that, and any other political developments, throughout the day.
