When Rishi Sunak unveiled his Spring Statement last week, he was clear both publicly and privately that it marked a turning point: from now on, tax cuts will be prioritised over public spending. It was the Chancellor’s chance to chart a path back to a smaller state, which he later described to Tory MPs as a ‘clear conservative plan’. Yet a few days on as Sunak continues to face criticism over the measures he did – and didn’t – announce, pressure for higher spending is once again growing.
Over the weekend, Sunak found himself on the receiving end of a number of hostile briefings from cabinet colleagues and allies of Boris Johnson. Sunak’s personal ratings have also fallen, with a YouGov poll finding that Sunak’s net favourability has hit a new low of -15. A general consensus has formed that Sunak did not do enough to ease the cost of living crisis – given the OBR have said it will be the biggest fall in living standards since the 1950s.
The Prime Minister is said to have looked particularly uncomfortable at the idea
Yet there is a lack of unity when it comes to how exactly to address this issue. At
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