On 28 October, John Healey will deliver his first Budget as Chancellor, and the first of Andy Burnham's new government. It comes at a difficult fiscal moment. Sticking to the fiscal rules means bringing down borrowing. But the government has ambitions to increase spending on both welfare and warfare. How could the government fund its ambitions? Having ruled out rises to the three biggest revenue-raisers – income tax, National Insurance and VAT – which other taxes could it turn to, and at what cost? Could cuts to benefits make space for more spending elsewhere? Will Burnham's promise to spread money and power out of Westminster help by promoting higher growth or increase challenges by leading to higher inequality?
A week ahead of the Budget, join us for a special in-person recording of the IFS podcast, IFS Zooms In. We will bring together IFS experts to zoom in on the key tax and spend choices facing the Chancellor, and to explore what they could mean for households, businesses and the wider economy.
This event is part of the ESRC Festival of Social Science 2026 and was made possible thanks to funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
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