Announced tax cuts could jeopardize public services

MADRID, October 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The authorities of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have requested an urgent meeting with Britain’s finance minister, Kwasi Kwarteng, in response to the announcement of tax cuts and budget cuts that could jeopardize public services.

Scotland’s deputy chief minister, John Swinney, and the Welsh and Northern Irish finance ministers, Rebecca Evans and Conor Murphy, have accused Kwarteng of “playing cards” with a planned £45 billion tax reduction.

Swinney, Evans and Murphy have sent a joint letter to Kwarteng in which they warn that inflation is already affecting the budgets of the two autonomous governments and that they need additional financing from the central government.

“We expanded the budget beyond the maximum and we made the difficult decision to balance it, because we don’t have the flexibility or borrowing capacity that the UK Government has,” they argued. “This is a position that may be untenable and it jeopardizes public services,” they warned.

As such, they have indicated that they cannot wait until November 23 for Kwarteng to finalize its debt reduction plans. “The UK government is playing cards with our public finances and the health of our economy. Even before last Friday, the UK was already facing one of the most serious turbulence of the last generation,” they said.

“However, the UK government has chosen to make matters significantly worse by announcing tax cuts for the richest without a credible explanation of how the lost money will be covered,” the Press Association reported.

“Urgent action is needed to address the issues affecting our economy, public services and our homes in this country. These actions cannot wait for the updates you have announced for November”, they froze.