Spending review: More cash for schools, NHS and defence expected as chancellor unveils plans
The chancellor will unveil the spending review at lunchtime – with plans to invest billions of pounds across the UK.
However, Rachel Reeves will admit that “too many people” are yet to feel the benefits of the government’s work so far.
In the House of Commons, she will confirm the budgets for each government department over the next three years – with boosts expected for schools, defence and the NHS.
Ms Reeves will vow to spend vast sums of money across the country to “ensure that renewal is felt in people’s everyday lives, their jobs, their communities”.
She is also pledging to set out “reforms that will guarantee towns and cities outside London and the South East can benefit from new investment”.
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Chancellor Rachel Reeves will set out the government’s spending plans for the next three years. Pic: Reuters
Ms Reeves is expected to say: “This government is renewing Britain. But I know too many people in too many parts of the country are yet to feel it.
“This government’s task – my task – and the purpose of this spending review – is to change that … So that people can see a doctor when they need one. Know that they are secure at work. And feel safe on their local high street.
“The priorities in this spending review are the priorities of working people. To invest in our country’s security, health and economy so working people all over our country are better off.”
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What to expect from the spending review
Watch live coverage of the spending review on Sky News from 12pm
Ms Reeves will formally confirm “the biggest-ever local transport infrastructure investment in England’s city regions” – worth £15.6bn – as well as £86bn to “boost science and technology”, including by building the Sizewell C nuclear power station.
She will also announce the extension of the £3 cap on bus fares, Sky News understands. The cap – which Labour lifted from £2 – was due to expire at the end of this year.
Meanwhile, £39bn for a new Affordable Homes Programme over the next 10 years is set to be unveiled, with the government seeking to ramp up housebuilding to hit its manifesto pledge of 1.5 million new homes by the end of this parliament.
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‘You are everyone’s worst enemy’
The chancellor will argue: “The choices in this spending review are possible only because of the stability I have introduced and the choices I took in the autumn.”
One of those choices included cutting the winter fuel allowance for almost all pensioners – a decision the government has now U-turned on at a cost of £1.25bn. However, she is not expected to explain where that money will come from until the budget this autumn.
Ms Reeves will tell MPs: “I have made my choices. In place of chaos, I choose stability. In place of decline, I choose investment. In place of retreat, I choose national renewal.
“These are my choices. These are this government’s choices. These are the British people’s choices.”
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But shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said this will be “the ‘spend today, tax tomorrow’ spending review” – arguing that the government is “spending money it doesn’t have, with no credible plan to pay for it”.
He said in a statement: “Rachel Reeves talks about ‘hard choices’ – but her real choice has been to take the easy road. Spend more, borrow more, and cross her fingers. This spending review won’t be a plan for the future – it will be a dangerous gamble with Britain’s economic stability.”
He went on: “Today, we’ll hear slogans, spin and self-congratulation – but not the truth. Don’t be fooled. Behind the spin lies a dangerous economic gamble that risks the country’s financial future.”
A shoplifter has been jailed and banned from every Boots store after stealing £107,000 worth of goods from the high street chain.
Liam Hutchinson, 32, of no fixed address, was sentenced to a year in prison at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.
He was also issued with a criminal behaviour order, banning him from every Boots store in the UK for 10 years – and the London borough of Kensington and Chelsea for five years.
Metropolitan Police detectives trawled through hours of CCTV footage to find that Hutchinson had committed 99 shoplifting offences at Boots stores in the borough between May and August 2025.
Hutchinson stealing from shelves in Boots on CCTV. Pic: Met Police
Often stealing large quantities of razors and electrical items, his crimes cost the retailer £107,000 in revenue, Sergeant Jack Vine, of the Met’s volume crime team said.
“We recognised the impact Hutchinson’s actions were having on the retailer, and through working with staff, we built a strong case of evidence against him, which has been reflected in his sentencing,” he added.
“This result should act as a warning that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated, and that we will come down hard on those who show a complete disregard for the law, terrorise retail workers and cost businesses thousands of pounds.”
Liam Hutchinson being caught by officers in bodycam footage. Pic: Met Police
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Nicky Harrop, head of security, fraud, and contract management at Boots, said the company have been investing “significantly” in anti-theft measures to make sure stores “remain a safe and respectful environment” for customers and staff.
The Met says it is prioritising shoplifting, having solved 163% more cases in London compared to the same time last year.
It is also dedicating up to 80 additional officers across London’s West End, with 90 more in high-risk theft areas.
A man has been arrested in the UK by the National Crime Agency (NCA) as part of an investigation into a cyber incident which caused chaos at European airports.
Flights were cancelled at Brussels Airport, and several more were delayed at Heathrow, Berlin, and Dublin, among others, leaving passengers stranded.
The incident, which was reported on 19 September, hit the systems of Collins Aerospace, which operates check-in and boarding systems.
Passengers reported being unable to check in online, queuing for hours, and their flights eventually not taking off.
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NCA officers, supported by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, arrested a man in his 40s in West Sussex on Tuesday evening on suspicion of Computer Misuse Act offences. He has been released on conditional bail.
Collins Aerospace, whose network was affected, runs systems for several airlines at multiple airports across the world. Pic: PA
Deputy director Paul Foster, head of the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit, said: “Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is in its early stages and remains ongoing.
“Cybercrime is a persistent global threat that continues to cause significant disruption to the UK.
“Alongside our partners here and overseas, the NCA is committed to reducing that threat in order to protect the British public.”
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