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Rachel Reeves has delivered her much anticipated spring statement today.

The chancellor’s statement is not a formal budget – as Labour pledged to only deliver one per year – but rather an update on the economy and any progress since her fiscal statement last October.

Ms Reeves told MPs “the world has changed” since her first budget just under five months ago, and that was to blame for the string of cuts and downgrades she outlined in the Commons.

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But critics have said today’s update is a direct consequence of her decisions since taking office in July.

Here are the key takeaways from the spring statement:

Economy

The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has halved the UK growth forecast for 2025 from 2% to 1%, Ms Reeves said, adding that she was “not satisfied with these numbers”.

She explained that the government’s budget will move from a deficit of £36.1bn in 2025-26 and £13.4bn in 2026-27, to a surplus of £6bn in 2027-28, £7.1bn in 2028-29 and £9.9bn in 2029-30.

While the short-term growth forecasts appear gloomy, the chancellor said the OBR predicts the economy will be “larger” by the end of the forecast compared with the time of her first budget as a result of her decisions.

The OBR expects output to grow 1% in 2025, by 1.9% next year, 1.8% in 2027, 1.7% in 2028 and by 1.8% in 2029.

Economic growth chart

On living standards, real household disposable income per person is expected to grow by an average of around 0.5 percentage points a year from 2025-26 to 2029-30, led by stronger wage growth and inflation starting to fall later in the forecast period.

Ms Reeves said disposable income will “grow this year at almost twice the rate expected in the autumn”, adding: “Households will be on average over £500 a year better off under this government.”

Welfare chapterhead

The chancellor announced further welfare cuts after being told the reforms announced last week will save less than planned – £3.4bn instead of £5bn.

Among the latest changes to welfare spending, Ms Reeves said the universal credit health element would be cut by 50% and frozen for new claimants rather than rising in line with inflation.

However, the universal credit standard allowance will increase from £92 per week in 2025-26 to £106 per week by 2029-30. The changes will mean a further 150,000 people will not receive carer’s allowance or the carer element of universal credit, according to the government’s own impact assessment.

The OBR has estimated the new welfare savings package will save £4.8bn.

Cuts to welfare will mean 250,000 more people – including 50,000 children – will be pushed into poverty by 2030, the government’s assessment predicts.

Separately, 800,000 people will not receive the daily living component personal independence payment (PIP) – due to tightening eligibility rules.

Defence

The chancellor pledged to “boost Britain’s defence industry and to make the UK a defence industrial superpower”.

She confirmed the government’s pledge to spend 2.5% of GDP by 2027.

The Ministry of Defence will get an additional £2.2bn next year, the chancellor said, which will be spent on new high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth, and refurbishing military family homes, among other things.

The commitment is fully funded, with cash coming from Treasury reserves and also from the decision to slash foreign aid funding.

Taxes

Ms Reeves said the statement does not contain any further tax increases, but highlighted work that needs to be done to tackle tax evasion.

She announced steps to crack down on tax evasion, saying that the government will increase the number of tax fraudsters charged each year by 20%.

She says that reducing tax evasion will raise an extra £1bn for the economy.

Departmental cuts chapterhead

On departmental budgets – which dictate how much different parts of government can spend until 2030 – Ms Reeves said she aims to make the state “leaner and more agile”.

The chancellor also confirmed that a voluntary redundancy scheme is set to launch for civil servants, saying this will deliver £3.5bn in “day-to-day savings by 2029-30”.

Government spending will now grow by an average of 1.2% a year above inflation, compared with 1.3% in the autumn.

Housing

Planning reforms will see house building reach a more than 40-year high by 2030, the chancellor said.

She said the OBR has forecast that the government’s reforms to cut planning red tape will boost house building by 170,000 over the next five years, to 305,000.

This would put the government on track to add around 1.3 million to Britain’s stock of homes in the UK, a rise of 16%, by the end of Parliament.

However, it will fall short of its initial target of 1.5 million houses, the OBR warned, adding that planning reforms will only increase the overall housing stock by 0.5% by the end of 2030.

How have the markets reacted?

The reaction of financial markets to a fiscal event is important, particularly as a poorly received speech can add to government borrowing costs on the bond markets.

The good news for the chancellor here is that yields – the premium demanded by investors to hold UK government debt – dipped slightly in the wake of her remarks.

The yield for UK 30-year bonds, known as gilts, eased by almost 0.1 percentage points to 5.283%.

Similar, but smaller, declines were seen for their 10 and two year counterparts.

The only other market reaction to speak of was a dip in the value of the pound which lost three tenths of a cent against the dollar and the euro.

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‘Experiencing the solar system for yourself’: Sun obscured over the UK in partial solar eclipse

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'Experiencing the solar system for yourself': Sun obscured over the UK in partial solar eclipse

UK stargazers were treated to a partial solar eclipse on Saturday morning, a phenomenon that sees the sun partially obscured by the moon.

Up to 40% of the sun was covered as the moon passed between the sun and Earth, partly obscuring the star.

Members of the public gathered to watch the spectacle in Greenwich while thousands more followed online.

Science correspondent Thomas Moore wearing solar eclipse viewing glasses in Greenwich
Image:
Science correspondent Thomas Moore wearing solar eclipse viewing glasses in Greenwich

Saturday's partial solar eclipse. Pic: Royal Observatory Greenwich
Image:
Saturday’s partial solar eclipse at around 10.30am. Pic: Royal Observatory Greenwich

“It’s a different way of experiencing the mechanics of the solar system for yourself,” said Catherine Muller, an astronomer at Royal Observatory to Sky News science correspondent Thomas Moore.

“We know about it theoretically, we know that the moon orbits the Earth and they might pass by us but really getting to see it in a new and different way is quite exciting for a lot of people.”

Hobby astronomers watch the partial eclipse in Germany. Pic: AP
Image:
Hobby astronomers watch the partial eclipse in Germany. Pic: AP

A solar telescope that projects a magnified image of the sun onto a piece of paper
Image:
A solar telescope that projects a magnified image of the sun on to a piece of paper

Looking directly at the sun is dangerous so astronomers used glasses, solar telescopes and pinhole cameras to watch the event.

The beginning of the partial eclipse above the roof of Berlin's Olympic Stadium. Pic: Reuters
Image:
The beginning of the partial eclipse above the roof of Berlin’s Olympic Stadium. Pic: Reuters

The eclipse was visible across several other parts of the world, including western Europe, Greenland, north-west Africa and north-east North America.

More on Eclipse

For people in the southeast of England – where the weather meant the UK views were best – the peak of the eclipse was at around 11.03am.

At that point, around 30-40% of the sun was obscured, according to the Royal Observatory.

Eclipse chasers in awe as moon takes a nibble from the sun

Most of us are normally unaware of the mechanics of the solar system.

But when the silhouette of the moon slides across the disc of the sun during an eclipse you get to marvel at the precision movement of celestial objects.

At the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, home of the meridian, the partial eclipse started at 10.07, with the moon appearing to take nibble from the edge of the sun.

Crowds watched through eclipse glasses, awed by the best show from Earth.

Wispy cloud had drifted across the sun by the time the eclipse peaked an hour later. But not enough to spoil the view.

Read the full story here

Northwest Scotland had the most coverage of the sun with 47.9% in Gallan Head, with Manchester getting 36.1% of coverage.

Dover had the least coverage of the sun with only 28.1%.

The next total solar eclipse is not for another 65 years in 2090, so Ms Muller recommends “making the most of the partial ones when they’re around”.

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How to see today’s partial solar eclipse from the UK

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How to see today's partial solar eclipse from the UK

Stargazers could catch a glimpse of a partial solar eclipse this morning, where the sun looks like it’s had a bite taken out of it.

It only occurs a handful of times a year, when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, and partly obscures the star.

Here’s what you need to know for the best chance of seeing it.

When is it?

It’s expected to be visible in the UK from 9.56am to 12.14pm today.

For people in the south of England – where the weather means views should be best – the peak of the eclipse is set to be at around 11.03am.

This is when the eclipse reaches its “maximum” – the moment when the greatest portion of the sun is hidden.

According to the Royal Observatory, the maximum this time will see around 30-40% of the sun obscured.

What is the weather meant to be like?

Some parts of the UK will see more of the eclipse than others. Northwest Scotland is expected to see the most coverage with 47.9% in Gallan Head.

Dover in southwest England is set to see the least coverage of the eclipse with only 28.1% of the sun blocked by the moon, while Manchester is expected to have 36.1% of coverage.

Check the forecast where you are

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “The further northwest you are in the UK the more of an eclipse you are likely to have, whereas towards the southeast it’s a little bit less – but still 30%, and still a large chunk taken out of the sun.”

Met Office maps show clear skies across southeast England at the time that the eclipse starts, with partial cloud above Manchester and northwest England, and cloud above most of Scotland.

The areas expected to have some of the best eclipse coverage are also likely to see cloud and rain at the time.

Conditions are widely meant to clear over the weekend, with temperatures up to 17C in the South East and 14C in the North on Sunday – but it may come slightly too late to have a good view of the sun today.

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What are the key takeaways from the spring statement?
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How can I give myself the best chance of seeing it?

Even though part of the sun will be covered, its brightness will still be dangerous to the naked eye, so experts say it can cause serious and permanent damage if you look straight at it without appropriate protection.

Also: standard sunglasses do not count as protection.

If you want more than a quick glance, you can use a pinhole projector or solar eclipse viewing glasses.

You can make pinhole projectors at home, simply by making a hole in a piece of card, holding the card up to the sun and holding another piece of paper behind the card.

The shape of the sun will appear projected onto the paper, without harming you.

Solar eclipse viewing glasses can be purchased online.

For those who can’t see it in person, the Royal Observatory is streaming the partial eclipse live through one of its modern telescopes on its YouTube channel, with coverage starting from 10am.

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UK weather: Spring sunshine set to return on Mother’s Day, forecasters say

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UK weather: Spring sunshine set to return on Mother's Day, forecasters say

Spring sunshine will return to parts of the UK in time for Mother’s Day and continue into next week – potentially bringing the hottest day of the year so far, forecasters have said.

Sky weather producer Kirsty McCabe said Mothering Sunday was likely to be a “mostly fine day with bright or sunny spells once early low cloud and drizzle clears”.

She predicted there would be “temperatures near or above average” for most places.

Afterwards, however, high pressure is set to dominate. There is a good chance the highest temperature of the year so far will be reached by the middle of next week, topping the high of 21.3C (70F) recorded on 20 March.

Latest UK weather forecast

However, the far north and west of the British Isles are likely to be cloudier and windier with a risk of rain.

The Met Office has also forecast that warm conditions will return on Sunday after a brief, changeable period in what it called “typical spring fashion”.

Central and inland areas should have the warmest weather on Mother’s Day, with its forecasters also predicting “a short-lived spell of unsettled weather this weekend”.

A woman sitting in Green Park, central London, during a spell of warm weather. Picture date: Friday March 28, 2025, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Ben Whitley/PA Wire
Image:
A woman enjoys the warmer weather in London’s Green Park. Pic: PA

But the Met Office added the country would “transition back towards a blocked weather pattern as high pressure builds on Sunday and dominates our weather through much of next week”.

Honor Criswick, a meteorologist from the agency, said the high pressure would “stick around as we head into next week, bringing some fine and settled conditions, perhaps even some warm sunshine”.

Partial solar eclipse in parts of UK

Ms Criswick said Sunday morning would be cloudy, with possible drizzle and mist, but that would give way to a dry day with “some sunny spells, particularly across central and inland areas of the UK”.

She predicted there would be “quite a settled start to the week next week, lots of sunny spells and also some quite warm temperatures”.

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Meanwhile, a partial solar eclipse will be visible in parts of the UK between 10am and noon on Saturday.

Those in the east of the country will have the best chance of seeing it.

The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth. However, the three planetary bodies will not be completely aligned, meaning only part of the sun will be obscured this weekend.

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