Spending review is a chance for Reeves to paint a more positive picture | Heather Stewart

Labour has so far struggled to explain its purpose and the need to do so will be all the more pressing if it raises taxes again

Rachel Reeves hopes to use Wednesday's spending review to tell a long-overdue story about Labour's purpose in power that looks beyond fixing the Tories' fiscal mess.

After the winter fuel U-turn and Labour's battering at the hands of Reform in last month's local elections, the chancellor's team are well aware that voters and backbench MPs need reasons to believe.