UK Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt has acknowledged that the presentation of the country’s future economic program–scheduled for next week–is «perhaps one of the greatest responsibilities» he has had throughout his political career.
Hunt has published an article in the local newspaper ‘Farnham Herald’ in which he apologized for not having been able to read the latest issues of the newspaper because he has been «with his head down», an ingenious way of highlighting the intense work of the last few weeks to draw up the fiscal and economic program.
«I have been head down, even during Saturday and Sunday, preparing the ‘Autumn Statement’ with the Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak),» Hunt remarked, as reported by British television Sky News.
The finance minister stressed that the challenge of shaping the UK’s future economic path has been particularly complicated because, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the population now requires greater state intervention.
Thus, Hunt pointed to the need, «as in every family and business», to find «the way to pay for things», also betting on returning to «stabilize» the situation, for which both «tax increases and spending cuts» are essential.
«Growth is simply not possible without the basic stability that comes from balancing our national (account) books and reducing our debt,» added the head of the Finance portfolio.
«So these are tough times for people everywhere (…) But we are a resilient, tough and resourceful country and we have faced even greater challenges many times before,» Hunt culminated.
Sunak and Hunt decided on October 26 to delay until November 17 the presentation of the government’s medium-term fiscal and economic program, originally scheduled for October 31. Already at that time, the Finance Minister remarked that «the number one priority is economic stability and restoring confidence in the UK».
