Austerity Redux: Return of the Cuts

Photo by Tom Athawes on Unsplash

On 17th November, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt announced some long-expected bad news for the country. In order to fill a supposed £50 billion hole in the government’s finances, Hunt pledged a raft of tax rises and spending cuts. While the Chancellor promised that health and education spending would be protected and that benefits would rise to match inflation, nearly £30 billion worth of cuts will mean vital…