Even within austerity, Chancellor has choices: smooth curve of cuts and gradual debt reduction VS front-loading pain, to give Sunak room for a faux-mini-recovery and ‘giveaways’ before next election. Hunt plans to do the wrong thing *and in the wrong way*.

Austerity kills people. Last decade of cuts resulted in 335,000 excess deaths. Causing unnecessary misery to improve a PM’s election prospects is profoundly wicked.

https://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_885099_en.html

Over 300,000 ‘excess’ deaths in Great Britain attributed to UK Government austerity policies

Recent evidence has shown people across the UK are dying younger as a result of austerity, with people living in the poorest areas hardest hit. A new study published today now quantifies the scale of these deaths.

@SturdyAlex

I believe will be worse than last time. There is nothing left to cut in most services, and applying further cuts is going to mean collapse, which will have all the more negative impacts and potential deaths.

I'm not sure the markets will see this as any better a plan than the last one, either. It's not a plan that will produce growth, except by accident. Leaning into it only makes this country a less attractive investment and thus debt more expensive.