Jeremy Hunt urged to cut ‘wasteful’ spending amid economic crisis

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is due to deliver his fiscal statement as an autumn budget on November 17, but a new poll has found that Express.co.uk readers are against him raising taxes and cutting public spending. Mr Hunt was kept on in his position by the new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in an effort to stabilise the economy and reassure the markets after the financial turmoil of former Prime Minister Liz Truss’ policies.He was expected to deliver the nation’s medium-term fiscal plan on October 31 but his announcement was delayed by nearly three weeks to ensure the new government can ‘reach the right decisions’.The statement will be supported by forecasts from the Treasury watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and Mr Hunt said that postponement would ensure these are ‘the most accurate’.He explained on Wednesday, October 26: ‘The OBR also want to make sure that their forecasts are the most accurate possible and there have been a lot of changes even in the last 48 hours.’And this is my recommendation to the prime minister, as the best way to ensure that the decisions that we take – these very, very difficult decisions – are ones that stand the test of time and give us the best chance of giving people security over the mortgages, over their jobs, over the cost-of-living concerns that everyone has.’READ MORE: Hunt delays crunch Budget and drops hint Sunak is tearing up plans Jeremy Hunt will deliver his fiscal statement as an autumn budget on November 17 (Image: Getty)Mr Hunt has already U-turned on Ms Truss and former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-budget and at the time denied claims his budget would herald a ‘new wave of austerity’.However, he recognised that a number of difficult decisions would need to be made, adding: ‘Every single one of those decisions, whether reductions in spending or increases in tax…will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable’.OBR forecasts have warned that the Government needs to find £40billion in savings to balance the nation’s finances and Mr Hunt reportedly could raise almost half of this through increased taxes.Former Chancellor George Osborne, who served under David Cameron, favoured an 80-20 split of spending cuts to tax rises, but it is thought that Mr Hunt could be exploring options for a divide as even as 50-50.In a poll that ran from midday on Wednesday, October 26, to 10:30am on Friday, October 28, Express.co.uk asked readers: ‘Should Jeremy Hunt raise taxes and cut public spending?’Overall, 2,680 people cast their votes with almost two-thirds – 64 percent (1,715 people) – answering ‘no’ Mr Hunt should not raise taxes and cut public spending.A further 32 percent (864 people) said ‘yes’ while four percent (98 people) said they did not know either way.Readers took part in a lively discussion on Mr Hunt’s potential plans with dozens of comments left below the accompanying article.Many readers commented that they did not want Mr Hunt to introduce measures meaning they would be taxed more, with some suggesting that public spending should be evaluated first.Username KatMoi said: ‘Why should the taxpayer pay for the huge deficit the government have made and through incompetence.’Username Higher trimscot said: ‘We already pay too much tax so cut public spending as billions are being wasted.’Username Fidget agreed, writing: ‘I’d rather he cut wasteful spending, and there are lots to go at.’While username Rosepetal said: ‘Government is bloated and spends hard-earned taxpayers money on costly and insane projects. They need to look at what our money is already being spent on.’DON’T MISS:Rishi Sunak urged to expand windfall tax on fossil fuel giants [REPORT]Pensioners have earned the right to be a priority [COMMENT]Daily Express campaign urges Sunak to protect pension triple lock [LATEST] The Government has been warned it needs to find £40billion in savings to balance national finances (Image: EXPRESS.CO.UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to govern to the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto (Image: Getty)During his first day in office, on Tuesday, October 25, Mr Sunak pledged to govern to the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto which ruled out tax rises.Yet Foreign Secretary James Cleverly claimed that due to the situation three years on, this may have to change.He told Sky News on Wednesday: ‘You can’t set out a manifesto and assume that nothing significant is going to happen in the four or five years of a parliament. ‘There was no global pandemic in the 2019 manifesto. There was no invasion of Ukraine in the 2019 manifesto. We have got to respond to the world as we find it, not the one we wish it to be.’