Hunt for Red November

17/11/2022 29 min

Listen "Hunt for Red November"

Episode Synopsis

Chancellor Hunt lays out tax rises and spending cuts to try to fill the budget black hole, from freezing income tax thresholds to cutting back help with energy bills. In his first Autumn Statement, the Chancellor acknowledged the UK was in a recession, and announced support for the most vulnerable, including rises in line with inflation of the state pension, benefits, and tax credits. Alongside other measures such as an expanded windfall tax on energy company profits, what does the Autumn Statement mean for Scotland, will it be effective at balancing the books while supporting those in need, or is it, as Labour have said, a "pickpocketing" of the public?