When Rishi Sunak stands at the Despatch Box all eyes will be on the small print

Rish pickings

IN THE build-up to today’s Budget and Spending Review, Rishi Sunak has announced tens of billions for everything from rail projects and clearing the NHS backlog to grassroots football pitches.

We also know the Chancellor will take at least some steps to address the looming cost-of-living crisis by freezing fuel duty and hiking the minimum wage.

Simon Walker HM TreasuryWhen Chancellor Rishi Sunak stands at the Despatch Box today all eyes will be on the small print[/caption]

The bill for this largesse has understandably set some Tory nerves jangling — given the country is already £2.2trillion in debt.

Meanwhile, business leaders wonder what happened to the Tory claim to be the party of low taxes.

So, when the Chancellor stands at the Despatch Box today, all eyes will be on the small print.

We are told he will commit to bringing day-to-day spending into balance by the middle of this decade — allowing us to begin paying down some of the nation’s terrifying credit card bill. Good.

But will he also chart a course that might allow him to actually cut taxes before the next election — rather than hiking them ever higher?

Will he let people keep more of what they earn — instead of being made to pour ever more of their wages into a State which remains incredibly wasteful and inefficient?

Rishi was right to do whatever it took to get the country through the pandemic, and protect the jobs of countless Sun readers.

But with the shadow of inflation looming large and our public services in dire need of reform, the approach to the next few years will be every bit as crucial.

Plan B gets an F

THE way Labour talk up “Plan B” for keeping Covid in check, you might think it was a play-it-safe strategy, without any downside beyond minor inconvenience.

That may be true of the mask-wearing part but leaked government papers show Plan B’s other measures — including a return to mandated working from home — could empty £3.6billion a month from the nation’s coffers.

RexWe need to give Plan A — the vaccine rollout — everything we’ve got[/caption]

That’s a gambit we can ill afford, especially for what is predicted to be only a marginal effect on Covid transmission.

We need to give Plan A — the vaccine rollout — everything we’ve got.

This is one case where the journey from A to B is anything but straightforward.

Lucky truckers

IT’S a terrific time to be a lorry driver.

First, a global shortage of truckers saw wages for the job spiral, and today the Chancellor is set to announce up to £50million to revamp grotty HGV stops that put workers off the industry.

AlamyThe Chancellor is set to announce up to £50million to revamp grotty HGV stops that put workers off the industry[/caption]

It’s a win for our Keep on Trucking campaign, and proof that rig-drivers ought to stick with The Sun for a lorra lorry fun.