Thursday’s newspaper front pages are dominated by reactions to the spending review. It won’t come as much of a surprise how the papers have reacted – with the left-leaning press cheering on the injection of cash, bringing an end to the Conservative austerity and framing the review as a “renewal of Britain.” The right-leaning press tells their readers to “brace for tax pain” calling Rachel Reeves’s review “fantasy spending.”
Reactions to the Spending Review: ‘Rebuilding Britain’ or ‘Reckless splurge’?
The Daily Express, the Daily Mail and The Times are among the papers to criticise the review. They call it a splurge.
- The Daily Express tells its readers to ‘brace for tax pain’ after Rachel Reeves gave an extra £29 billion a year to the NHS. The paper notes that critics have called her plan “fantasy spending.”
- The Daily Mail calls the Spending Review “a reckless splurge” which voters will be “paying off for years”.
- The Daily Telegraph says the chancellor is “sacrificing” the police and defence in the review as police chiefs warn the plans could mean missing election targets on reducing crime, while former military leaders say they are “totally inadequate” for the Armed Forces. Both are set for smaller yearly bumps in spending compared to the NHS.
- The Times says Reeves has turned on “the tax and spend taps,” and the cash injection is a bid to “help Labour win the next election.” The paper notes the chancellor will have “no choice” but to raise taxes “to keep books balanced.”
- The Daily Star – a centre-right paper – says the chancellor’s spending review motives are clear: Keep Reform UK at bay.
‘Better for Britain’
The Guardian, Metro and the Daily Mirror have more of an upbeat analysis of the review.
- The Guardian says the NHS and defence are the “big winners” of the spending review. The paper says the chancellor has launched a “charm offensive” to concerned Labour MPs about the rise of Reform UK by telling them that the review “was not a return to austerity.”
- Metro says the chancellor’s £300bn “spree” is the “spent of austerity” saying injections for some departments were necessary to “renew Britain.”
- The FT says the NHS, defence and education are the winners from the review but the Home Office, Foreign Office and Culture Department face a “squeeze”. The paper reports Reeves has said her review is a “rejection of austerity” but the IFS warns “things look tighter” from mid-2026. The paper celebrates her for directing funds at affordable housing, regional connectivity and energy security but calls for broader reforms of the tax system, and to pay for more training of construction workers and engineers.
- The Daily Mirror says the review is for a “better Britain.” The paper welcomes Rachel Reeves’ plans, saying they put “the needs of ordinary majority ahead of the privileged few”.
- The i Paper says the Home Office is the “biggest loser” from the review and that council tax is “likely to rise” after a squeeze of funding for police.
- The Independent says the chancellor chose “national renewal” when announcing a £39bn boost for social housing, £29bn for NHS and £11bn for defence.
