Rishi Sunak weighs up moving budget to 2022 on back of Covid crisis

The economy is expected to reach a crucial stage in fourth quarter as support for business winds down

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Rishi Sunak is considering pushing the budget into next year so the Treasury can weigh up the economic impact of ending the furlough scheme and the third wave of the pandemic over the coming months.

The chancellor is planning to tell MPs before next week's parliamentary recess that he will hold a three-year spending review in the autumn but he is thinking about delaying tax measures until the spring, government sources have confirmed.