英国财政大臣约翰·希利近期澄清其本议会任期内的福利开支政策，明确表示财政部并未设定在本届任期内削减福利账单的具体时间表 1。这一表态旨在回应此前外界关于政府将压缩福利成本的猜测，强调相关改革将依赖长期审查而非短期削减 1。尽管希利试图淡化即时紧缩预期，但负责监管公共财政的独立机构对未来的预算压力发出了严厉警告 1。
根据智库研究所（IFS）的估算，希利每年需额外预留280亿英镑资金，以抵消通胀影响并实现2030年国防开支占国内生产总值3%的目标 1。若无法筹集这笔巨额资金，政府可能不得不面对“对某些部门相当残酷”的支出审查以及进一步的增税措施 1。目前总福利支出预计将从去年的3340亿英镑攀升至2030年的4310亿英镑，其中约一半用于养老金支付，四分之一流向疾病和残疾福利 1。随着留作缓冲的资金空间从春季声明时的240亿英镑降至150亿英镑，财政大臣应对未来负面经济消息的能力显著减弱 1。
在生活成本危机背景下，希利推出的普惠性补贴政策遭到批评者指责为缺乏针对性的“散弹枪”式做法 1。针对银行业征收的超额利润附加费虽已从3%提高至6%，但为期仅15个月的期限被认为力度不足 1。工会大会总书记保罗·诺瓦克对此表示不满，要求进一步增加该税收金额并延长实施期限，以便资助更有效的能源支持措施 1。此外，在涉及欧盟关系的问题上，希利反对立即重新加入欧盟单一市场，并表示在自己有生之年重返欧盟的可能性极低，主张专注于让现有经济适应脱欧后的现实 1。
UK Chancellor John Healey has clarified that no specific deadline exists for reducing welfare spending within the current parliamentary term, despite earlier suggestions of potential cuts. 1 The Treasury stated that rather than imposing a fixed timeline, the government is relying on long-term reviews to drive structural reforms. 1 Healey explicitly noted, “We haven’t set a timetable for this,” signaling a shift away from immediate austerity measures on benefits. 1
Financial pressures remain significant, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates that Healey must earmark an additional £28 billion annually to offset inflation and meet the target of defense spending reaching 3% of GDP by 2030. 1 IFS Director Helen Miller warned that failure to secure these funds could lead to “quite brutal spending reviews” for certain departments and fuel speculation about further tax increases. 1 Projections indicate total welfare expenditure will rise from £334 billion last year to £431 billion by 2030, with approximately half allocated to pensions and a quarter dedicated to disability and sickness benefits. 1
Critics have also targeted the Chancellor’s approach to the cost-of-living crisis, describing his universal subsidies as a “scattergun” strategy lacking precision. 1 While the bank levy on excess profits was raised from 3% to 6% for a period of 15 months, Trade Union Congress General Secretary Paul Nowak argued this measure was insufficient and called for higher, longer-lasting taxes to better fund energy support. 1 Furthermore, the fiscal headroom available to Healey has shrunk from £24 billion at the time of the Spring Statement to £15 billion, leaving the Treasury more vulnerable to adverse economic news. 1 Regarding trade policy, Healey expressed opposition to immediately rejoining the EU single market, stating he does not expect the UK to return to the bloc within his lifetime and should instead focus on adapting the economy to post-Brexit realities. 1
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