Budget 2025: Departments told to find extra £4.9bn in efficiencies
26 Nov 2025 Economics

Budget 2025: Departments told to find extra £4.9bn in efficiencies

New target follows near-£14bn efficiencies committed to for SR25 period
by Tevye Markson
HMT launches search for next OBR chair
20 Feb Economics
HMT launches search for next OBR chair
Treasury aiming to reduce micromanagement of departments
12 Feb Economics
Treasury aiming to reduce micromanagement of departments
Government efficiency plans could be more ambitious, says NAO boss
11 Feb Economics
Government efficiency plans could be more ambitious, says NAO boss
Reeves: Green book refresh will ‘deliver fair hearing' for all regions
29 Jan 2025 Economics
Reeves: Green book refresh will ‘deliver fair hearing' for all regions
Green Book update to report back in June Spending review
Civil service 'incompetence' to blame for rising debt, ex-minister says
27 Jan 2025 Economics
Civil service 'incompetence' to blame for rising debt, ex-minister says
Lord Agnew says failures of the state are "blocking economic growth" and "eroding our status as a first-world economy"
Treasury recruiting for new second perm sec
18 Dec 2024 Economics
Treasury recruiting for new second perm sec
Treasury is looking for candidates with "deep financial, business, commercial and analytical experience"
Barton: FCDO needs new funding model
19 Nov 2024 Economics
Barton: FCDO needs new funding model
Department will require hundreds of millions of pounds more after 2026-27, perm sec says
'The Treasury acted within the law’: Bowler defends officials over Spring Budget preparations
07 Nov 2024 Economics
'The Treasury acted within the law’: Bowler defends officials over Spring Budget preparations
Perm sec says previous budget framework put more onus on OBR to ask questions than HMT to provide information on its own initiative
Budget: Departments' day-to-day spending to rise 1.5% in real terms
30 Oct 2024 Economics
Budget: Departments' day-to-day spending to rise 1.5% in real terms
Total departmental spending will rise by an average of 1.5% a year over the next five years, chancellor announces, with higher rises in the next two years
Evidencing the value of health is the key to uniting health and growth
15 Oct 2024 Economics
Evidencing the value of health is the key to uniting health and growth
To realise the opportunities in the overlap of the government’s economic and health missions, we need to mobilise evidence on how economic decisions impact public health
Budget: No.10 says it will stick with fiscal rules
08 Oct 2024 Economics
Budget: No.10 says it will stick with fiscal rules
Confirmation of commitment to rules comes as IPPR report suggests reforming them could unlock £57bn of spending
Chancellor pledges real-terms increase to government spending
23 Sep 2024 Economics
Chancellor pledges real-terms increase to government spending
But Reeves does not rule out cuts to individual departments' budgets over the course of this parliament
Cutting public spending would 'damage foundations of the economy', Reeves warned
16 Sep 2024 Economics
Cutting public spending would 'damage foundations of the economy', Reeves warned
Former cabinet secretary Lord O'Donnell among economists who have urged the chancellor to update fiscal rules instead
Book review: Torsten Bell's well-evidenced argument might appeal to think tank economists, but will it convince ministers?
05 Sep 2024 Economics
Book review: Torsten Bell's well-evidenced argument might appeal to think tank economists, but will it convince ministers?
The policy proposals in Torsten Bell’s clear and well-evidenced book might appeal to think tank economists, says Thomas Pope, but only time will tell if political strategy will convince his new colleagues and bosses in the Labour government
Reeves tells departments to find billions of pounds in savings ahead of Budget
29 Aug 2024 Economics
Reeves tells departments to find billions of pounds in savings ahead of Budget
Health and Education departments among those asked to make big savings ahead of October budget, according to reports