# What’s NOT in the Budget? Healey kicks tough decisions on cutting benefits and funding defence down the road in safety-first Budget that could pave the way for early election

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/whats-not-in-the-budget-healey-kicks-tough-decisions-on-cutting-benefits-and-funding-defence-down-the-road-in-safety-first-budget-that-could-pave-the-way-for-early-election/
- Published: 2026-10-28T14:54:19+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T16:24:42+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16245495/Whats-NOT-Budget-Healey-kicks-tough-decisions-cutting-benefits-funding-defence-road-safety-Budget-pave-way-early-election.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Art, Business, Culture, Elections, Markets, Politics, World

## Key points

- The Budget delayed major decisions on welfare cuts and defence funding.
- Welfare spending is forecast to reach £100 billion a year by 2030.
- A defence spending plan is due at the 2027 spending review.

## Summary

Chancellor John Healey’s Budget postponed decisions on reducing welfare spending and funding higher defence spending, while ruling out calls from some Labour MPs for wealth taxes. The approach drew criticism from the Conservatives and a think tank, and opposition parties said the cautious Budget could help clear the way for an early election.

Healey said the Government would respond to reviews of youth unemployment and disability benefits before the end of the year, with a white paper and legislation to follow next year. Welfare spending is forecast to reach £100 billion a year by 2030, but ministers have said the reviews are not expected to deliver savings soon. Defence spending is currently projected to rise from 2.6 to 2.7 per cent of GDP by the end of the decade; Healey said details on meeting the 3.5 per cent NATO commitment by 2035 would come at the 2027 spending review, with 3 per cent in 2030 described as a target.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.