UK budget tests Labour’s credibility

BRITAIN'S centre-left Labour government unveils its annual budget tomorrow, with expected tax rises to curb debt and fund public services threatening to further dent its weak poll ratings.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised a "Labour budget with Labour values", vowing to reduce National Health Service waiting times and ease a prolonged cost-of-living crisis.

But finance minister Rachel Reeves faces a challenge: shoring up Labour's credibility with voters as hard-right Reform UK gains popularity, while convincing investors the government has its finances under control.

Economists estimate that Reeves, whose official title is chancellor of the exchequer, must find some £20 billion (about R453bn) to balance the books.