UK public services face cuts of up to £17bn, says IFS

Government on track to spend billions less than planned before pandemic, warns thinktank

Rishi Sunak is poised to usher in cuts to public services of up to 17bn compared with the government's pre-pandemic plans unless he takes action this summer to increase funding, a leading thinktank has warned.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies said the government was on track to spend between 14bn and 17bn less each year on a range of public services from April 2022 than had been earmarked prior to Covid-19.