“Make no mistake, this is a major moment for the government – and quite the twist on the usual cheery breakfast telly”, said Sam Blewett in Politico . With less than a month to go until her Budget announcement, Chancellor Rachel Reeves made a televised speech with the aim of “setting the context” for what is to come on 26 November.

Reeves refused to confirm whether the Labour government would reverse its manifesto pledge not to raise income tax , stoking speculation that her blueprint for balancing the books could come at the cost of public opinion.

What did the commentators say?

The Chancellor’s claim that “each of us must do our bit” was the “clearest indication yet that broad-based tax rises are coming”, said James Heale in The Spectator . Her 25-minute address had “echoes

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