Hunt warned against cutting tax for wealthy while making stealth raid on 36m workers

Chancellor considers deep cuts to inheritance tax in autumn statement to improve Tory polling

• What can Hunt do with his 13bn fiscal headroom?

Jeremy Hunt has been warned against using next week's autumn statement to announce pre-election tax cuts for the wealthy while overseeing a multibillion-pound stealth raid on the incomes of 36 million workers.

With the Conservatives trailing in opinion polls, the chancellor is considering deep cuts to inheritance tax for his set-piece speech to the Commons on Wednesday after receiving upbeat figures for the public finances from official forecasters.