MPs cannot agree whether it was the right move for the government to unexpectedly chose to drop plans to hike income tax in its upcoming Budget or if it just makes Labour look even weaker.

As first reported by the Financial Times, Rachel Reeves told the Office for Budget Responsibility on Wednesday she was no longer going forward with the income tax increase – despite repeatedly laying the groundwork for such a change only last week.

It was initially said that the chancellor had changed her mind amid wider fears of backlash from Labour MPs and voters at a time when the government is already deeply unpopular with the public.

Bloomberg has since reported that better economic forecasts suggested Reeves’ fiscal black hole was closer to £20 billion instead of £30 billion, as expected

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