A budget to save Britain's finances? More like Operation Save Our Skins | Aditya Chakrabortty

Britain's Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has pulled off an impressive feat: buying time. The latest budget is a desperate attempt to cling to power as her government teeters on the brink of collapse. With polls in free fall and backbenchers openly mutinous, Reeves has splashed out £26bn to placate bond investors, calm down angry MPs, and delay the inevitable.

The price tag? More taxes for ordinary people. The chancellor's attempt to buy some time comes at a steep cost: tax bills will soar, while public services continue to struggle. A small band of measures aimed at improving voters' lives – cutting energy bills, freezing train fares, and prescription charges – will be lost in the noise.

Reeves has promised an end to austerity, but it's little more than lip service. The vast majority of the taxes raised today will go on padding out the margin to meet her fiscal rules, rather than actually improving people's lives. Only 20% of new measures will have a noticeable impact – and even then, it's unlikely to be enough to stem the tide of discontent.

This budget is not about making changes, but about staving off disaster. It's a last-ditch effort to avoid an imminent collapse, rather than a serious attempt to reform the system. The consequences are already clear: asset managers are weighing in on which candidate will be best for the job next door, while the Labour party's own chances of success continue to dwindle.

For all its attempts at spin, this budget is a stark reminder that Britain's government has lost touch with reality. It's caught in a vicious cycle of tax increases, fiscal rules, and desperation, with no clear escape route in sight. As Reeves said to her MPs, "I'll be around for years and years" – but the party knows it's already running out of time.

Interesting that the British government is resorting to such drastic measures . It's like they're putting all their eggs in one basket - hoping to buy time with a massive tax hike . Not exactly the most popular move, considering how unpopular they are right now . Reeves' promise of an end to austerity sounds pretty hollow, especially if only 20% of new measures will have a noticeable impact . Guess we'll just have to wait and see if it's enough to save their bacon

The UK budget is like that one movie where the protagonist keeps delaying the inevitable – you know, the kind where they're stuck in a never-ending loop of trying to escape the villain . Reeves is just trying to buy some time, but she's throwing more than enough money around . The public services are still gonna suffer and people are gonna be like, "when's it our turn?" .

I mean, Reeves says she wants to end austerity, but I think it's just a PR move at this point . She's not actually going to make any real changes – the tax money is all about meeting those fiscal rules, and we're all just stuck in this cycle . The country feels like it's lost its magic .

Reeves needs to take a step back and listen to what the people want . This budget might have bought some time, but it's not going to solve anything in the long run .

I'm so over these budgets that just try to buy some time. Like, can't they just make some real changes instead of throwing more money at the problem? The fact that 80% of the new measures are just going to pad out their rules is a total cop-out. And don't even get me started on the taxes - £26bn for bond investors and MPs, but what about ordinary people? It's like they're expecting us to just swallow more and more without getting anything in return . The energy bills and train fares cuts are nice, I guess, but it's not like that's going to make a huge difference when we're still stuck with the same struggling public services . Can't they at least try to make some real changes instead of just delaying the inevitable?

Ugh, that budget is just a mess! I mean, £26bn for tax hikes? That's just going to make life even harder for regular folks. And all those 'measures' aimed at improving lives? Forget about it, they're just gonna get lost in the noise . It feels like Reeves is just trying to delay the inevitable rather than actually making a change. I'm not buying (pun intended) that 20% of new measures will make a difference - sounds like just a way to meet fiscal rules . The whole thing reeks of desperation, and honestly, it's scary to think what'll happen if they can't turn things around. This government has lost touch with reality for sure

think its all just delaying the inevitable... whoever wins next, we're gonna see more of the same old tax increases & austerity measures ... they should be focusing on real changes instead of just throwing cash at the problem ... 20% of new measures is basically a drop in the ocean ... public services are already struggling what's another £26bn gonna do?

The Chancellor's budget feels like a last-ditch attempt to maintain stability without actually addressing the underlying issues. By pouring £26bn into soothing bond investors, Reeves is buying herself some temporary reprieve, but it's ultimately at the expense of ordinary people's wallets . It's concerning that only 20% of the new measures will have a noticeable impact, while the rest will likely be swallowed up by the fiscal rules . The government's reliance on short-term fixes is making it harder to regain the trust of voters . With polls in free fall and discontent growing, this budget feels like a desperate attempt to cling to power rather than a genuine effort to reform the system .

I'm not surprised she's trying this last-ditch effort. It's like she's stuck in quicksand and can't get out. They should've seen it coming, all these warnings about the impending doom. Now they're just kicking the can down the road and hoping nobody notices the damage done . The tax hike is gonna hurt a lot of people, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet. It's just not fair .

ugh i feel like britain is at a total loss right now rachel reeves just punted the problem to ordinary people 26 billion isn't chump change, that's like what 10% of their entire budget it's basically extortion. and what do we get out of this? More taxes and a bunch of token measures that won't even make a difference meanwhile the public services are still on the rocks gotta ask, when will they learn from past mistakes instead of just buying time with band-aids

"Politics and prosperity are very closely linked... The more prosperous a nation is, the less will its politicians have need of flattery." - Theodore Roosevelt

Yooo, budget day is like that . I don't get why they gotta tax us even more, fam . Like, Reeves says she wants to end austerity, but really she's just trying to save her own skin . Those 20% measures are cool and all, but it's not enough to change the game . The government is so out of touch, they think we're still living in 2015 . Newsflash: times have changed, and we need real changes . It's all just a PR stunt to keep everyone calm while the party implodes .

Ugh, I'm like totally fed up with this budget . The government is just trying to sweep everything under the rug, rather than actually addressing the issues that are affecting people's lives. £26bn may buy them some time, but at what cost? Our tax bills are gonna skyrocket and public services will still be struggling . And don't even get me started on the measures that are supposed to improve our lives – they're just tokenistic gestures to try and pacify us while they continue to pad out their fiscal rules . It's all just a bunch of spin, if you ask me . I'm not buying it (pun intended) .

the budget is like a Band-Aid on a deep wound . rachel reeves is trying to cover up the cracks in the system with more taxes and empty promises, but at the end of the day she's just delaying the inevitable. it's not about making changes or improving people's lives, it's about buying time for her party to figure out what to do next . newsflash: tax bills are going up and public services are still struggling . the labour party's chances of success might be dwindling, but i think that's because they're trying to offer a real alternative, not just more of the same old promises . the max was right when she said "i'll be around for years and years" , but let's face it, her party is already running out of time .