Speeches by Reeves.

“No, we are legislating for the changes that the Secretary of State set out. We will still see significant increases in spending on sickness and disability benefits, but we think they are the right reforms to get the balance between supporting people into work, supporting those who need the support most and having a sys…”

“No, it does not, but we could also make these changes through legislation and have that debate in Parliament. There are other aspects, as we have already set out, that are in the Green Paper and are being consulted on.”

“You would have to tell me what you are referring to.”

“His term is up on 3 October, so we recognise that we need to make those decisions quickly, and you will be the first people to know when we have done that.”

“It is a pleasure to be here at your Select Committee today, Chair and members of the Committee. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has apologised for the clumsy language that he used. It was not the right language. I was asked a specific question. I did not, first of all, hear the previous interview of the Chief Secre…”

“I do not think I made the same comments, but the analogy—comparing pocket money and personal independence payments—is clearly not right.”

“Yes, I do. I do not condone leaks. There is always going to be speculation ahead of things like a spring statement, or a Budget, about the different measures. Some people who say that they are a source close to one Department or another are not always as close as they say they are, so sometimes those leaks are more spe…”

“Professor John Van Reenen, who is chair of the council of economic advisers, attended meetings with the Office for Budget Responsibility. He also attended some of the technical meetings, where he provided evidence to the OBR on the different measures that the Government are taking forward. I feel very fortunate to have…”

“Yes. It is slightly different because it is the council of economic advisers, and he is chair of the council of economic advisers for me.”

“Yes.”

“Can I just also say, Chair, if it is okay, that we have reduced significantly the number of people who are on circulation lists ahead of fiscal events, because of concerns that we had last year about information appearing in the public domain before I delivered the Budget? So, ahead of the spring statement, we did curt…”

“I have huge respect for Select Committees, as does the Chief Secretary, both of us having previously chaired Select Committees. I know you have written to the Chief Secretary, and we will look at that invitation. But we always want to be transparent and give information to Select Committees. Can I also say that it will…”

“The point is a really important one, because one of the reasons we have had some of the challenges we have faced as an incoming Government is that there had not been a spending review for a number of years. Obviously, in that time, inflation had been very high, so the cost of delivering public services had increased, a…”

“Yes, absolutely, because things happen in the preceding time. That is also why we are setting the spending review a longer trajectory for capital spending, because those decisions are often over a number of years. Obviously, we will make sure that evidence is given to the Committee after the spending review, and also s…”

“Let me have a look at that idea. But hopefully you, Chair, and Committee members have already seen how seriously we take the scrutiny process of Select Committees.”

“Yes, we have received a letter from Richard Hughes. We will be responding to that and, of course, you will be the first people to know about that, as is right and proper. We have been really focused on the spring statement in the last few weeks, but we will respond in the proper way. I want to take this opportunity to …”

“Obviously, a number of people do forecasts that we look at and take seriously, including the Bank of England, who publish a forecast four times a year, and that is very useful. The IMF, the OECD and many independent institutions provide forecasts. So it is not the only forecast available. But what is important is that …”

“It is really important that we have just one major fiscal event a year, because families and businesses do crave stability. In the last Parliament, there were a huge number of fiscal events, mini and otherwise, and that constant chopping and changing of tax rates and thresholds contributed to the economic uncertainty a…”

“No, I do not feel that. The OBR incorporated the latest economic news from financial markets and we updated our plans on that basis. We could have chosen to say that we would address issues of headroom at the Budget, but I did think it was important to show how importantly we take fiscal sustainability and fiscal stabi…”

“It is absolutely crucial. Achieving strong economic growth is not just about lines on a graph; it is about the money that people have in their pockets. We want to see economic growth and the benefits it brings felt in all parts of the country. That is why at the Budget last year we put significant investment, for examp…”