Sajid Javid insists 6 November Budget will go ahead despite Brexit deadlock
2 min read
Sajid Javid has vowed to press ahead with a Budget next month despite the ongoing deadlock in Parliament over Brexit.
The Chancellor said plans to outline the Government's tax-and-spending pledges were "on track" as he stuck to the 6 November date unveiled earlier this month.
Mr Javid previously earmarked that date to deliver "the first Budget after leaving the EU" on 31 October.
But there had been speculation the set-piece event could be shelved after Boris Johnson asked the European Union for a further Brexit extension and MPs voted down his timetable for getting his withdrawal agreement through the Commons.
Speaking to ITV's Robert Peston on Wednesday night, the Chancellor said: "The Budget's on track. And, as I said at the time I announced the date - November 6th - the only situation there won't be a Budget is if there was actually a no-deal outcome.
"Now we've ruled that out at this point. But we're on track to have a Budget on the 6th."
Earlier this month Mr Javid said he would use the fiscal event to signal "the start of our infrastructure revolution".
And he said: "This is the right and responsible thing to do - we must get on with governing."
But The Times reported this week that the Chancellor is unlikely to unveil significant tax cuts amid concern over the state of the public finances.
The Government already committed to a £13.8bn increase in public spending at last month's spending review, and a Treasury official told the paper: "Public sector finance figures mean we need to be realistic about how much space we have and whether now is the time for sweeping tax cuts."
During the Tory leadership race, Mr Johnson pledged to raise the threshold at which people begin paying national insurance from the current £8,632 a year, as well as lift the threshold for the higher rate of tax by £30,000.
Mr Javid meanwhile dropped a major hint at the Conservative conference that he is considering scrapping inheritance tax.
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