UK halves 2025 growth forecast, confirms defence spending boost

The British economy will only grow by 1 per cent this year, half the rate previously anticipated, Treasury chief Rachel Reeves conceded Wednesday in a statement to lawmakers about the state of the public finances that also saw her flesh out plans to boost defence spending.

Against the backdrop of sluggish economic growth that she blamed on a volatile international environment but which critics say she is largely responsible for, Reeves unveiled measures intended to meet her self-imposed budget rules.

With growth in 2025 lower than anticipated and debt interest repayments higher, the government’s independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility, found a £14 billion (US$18 billion) shortfall.

Reeves, whose official title is Chancellor of the Exchequer, has partly sought to fill that hole with welfare cuts that have caused widespread unease within the governing Labour Party amid a government-backed assessment that they could push 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, into poverty.

She also announced measures to rein in tax avoidance and tax evasion, and by lowering the day-to-day costs of running government.

Longer-term, the OBR’s forecasts were a bit more positive for the government with housing starts on course to meet a four-decade high following widespread planning reforms.