Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is the last minister yet to agree a funding deal with the Treasury before Wednesday’s Spending Review, BBC News understands.
He said the review would boost spending for schools and scientific research but declined to rule out a squeeze on policing.
Spending Review: When is it and what might Rachel Reeves announce?
Spending decisions come against the backdrop of a broad commitment to increase defence spending further to 3% by 2034.
While the government is expected to share some information about who will receive the payment as part of the Spending Review, full details will not be released until the Budget later in the year.
According to BBC News, Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, is the final minister to reach a funding agreement with the Treasury prior to Wednesday’s Spending Review.
Prior to the major financial statement, which establishes budgets for government departments for the upcoming years, ministers have been in high-level negotiations with Chancellor Rachel Reeves and her team.
The BBC has learned that after “progress” in negotiations, Housing Secretary Angela Rayner reached a settlement on Sunday evening; however, Cooper is refusing to back down in negotiations that also involve No 10.
Real-term increases to police budgets are anticipated over the next three years, but discussions regarding the larger Home Office budget are still ongoing.
Peter Kyle, the secretary of technology, stated earlier Sunday that police must “do their bit” to reform public services.
Kyle said that “every part of society was struggling” and that the chancellor was under pressure from every department to provide more funding on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on the BBC.
He stated that the review would increase funding for scientific research and education, but he did not rule out reducing policing.
Labour promised 13,000 more police and community support officers in its manifesto, but Home Office ministers don’t think there is enough funding to hire them, BBC News was informed earlier on Sunday.
According to Kyle, the government has already given the police an additional £1 billion. “We are delivering investment in the police,” he said.
“In order to contribute to change, we anticipate that the police will begin to embrace the necessary changes. “.
Review of Spending: What could Rachel Reeves reveal and when will it happen?
When asked about the government’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes by the end of the parliament, Kyle also refused to guarantee that Rayner’s housing department would be shielded from budget cuts.
However, he added: “We committed to something in our manifesto. Delivering that is our top priority. “.”.
The final discussions take place before what is expected to be a very important week for all branches of government.
It is anticipated that the NHS will receive additional funding, as there have been reports of increased funding for the Department of Health.
A significant increase in funding for the NHS would come at the expense of other government agencies as the chancellor tries to adhere to her own fiscal rules, which prohibit borrowing to pay for daily expenses and require debt to be declining as a percentage of national income by 2029–2030.
But as the chancellor tries to adhere to her own fiscal rules, which prohibit borrowing to pay for daily expenses and require debt to be declining as a percentage of national income by 2029–2030, other branches of government will see their budgets squeezed.
A few components of the statement’s content have surfaced in recent days.
As part of a larger £187 million package to encourage tech skills throughout the economy, the government announced £24 million on Sunday night to improve artificial intelligence education in schools.
An £86 billion package for science and technology was announced earlier on Sunday by the government to help finance medication treatments and longer-lasting batteries.
Additionally, the chancellor announced a £15 billion package on Wednesday to finance tram, train, and bus extensions in the North East, the Midlands, and Greater Manchester.
A broad commitment to raise defense spending even more to 3 percent by 2034 informs spending decisions.
By 2027, the government has already committed to raising defense spending from 2 percent of GDP to 2 percent of GDP, or an additional £5 billion annually, which will be financed by a reduction in the budget for foreign aid.
The government will change its contentious decision to restrict Winter Fuel Payments to individuals receiving means-tested benefits, as Reeves has previously stated.
The government will not disclose all the details until the Budget later this year, but it is anticipated that it will disclose some information regarding the recipient of the payment as part of the Spending Review.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has stated that “sharp trade-offs are unavoidable” due to “relatively modest” growth rates.
According to the think tank, the amount of money spent on health would determine whether or not “unprotected” areas—those outside of the NHS, defense, and schools—were cut.
