Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves declined to reiterate Labour’s manifesto commitment against broad-based tax hikes, as she made an unusual appeal to the British public to support her upcoming budget.

In a rare pre-budget speech in Downing Street carried on national broadcasters, Reeves argued she would prioritize bringing down borrowing costs and inflation, and blamed the previous Conservative administration for putting lasting pressure on the public finances.

In the clearest hint yet that the Labour government will compromise on its commitment to avoid lifting the UK’s main tax levers, Reeves said the world had changed since it came to power in July 2024.

In this special episode of the Bloomberg Daybreak Europe Podcast, Stephen Carroll and Caroline Hepker discuss with UK Correspondent Lizzy Burden, Bloomberg Opinion columnist Marcus Ashworth, and our Chief UK economist Dan Hanson.

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Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

(1) The current environment for large mergers and acquisitions is quite “constructive” for 2026 and 2027, particularly in the US, according to the chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs

(2) The global stock rally hit a speed bump as uncertainty over the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook and earnings from Palantir Technologies Inc. made investors more cautious.

(3) Alphabet sold $17.5 billion of bonds in the US, after issuing €6.5 billion ($7.48 billion) of notes in Europe, adding to a wave of borrowing from technology companies as they invest aggressively in artificial intelligence.

(4) Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned that his government will make “tough but fair decisions” in what’s expected to be a tax-raising budget later this month.

(5) Zohran Mamdani’s lead heading into the New York mayoral election has withstood a furious push from Republicans, establishment Democrats and a coalition of Wall Street dealmakers, leaving Democrats to face a familiar question should he win on Tuesday.

Podcast Conversation: Men’s Groups (Not ‘Boys Clubs’) Quietly Emerge in Big Business

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Your morning briefing, the business news you need in just 15 minutes.

On today's podcast:

(1) Oil advanced a fourth day after OPEC+ said it planned to pause output increases in the first quarter of 2026, following another modest hike for next month.

(2) A railway staff member who "saved many people's lives" while protecting train passengers from a knifeman is in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

(3) An exit charge for wealthy Britons leaving the country and increased levies on expensive homes are on a long-list of possible tax increases being considered by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves ahead of the budget.

(4) President Donald Trump threatened possible US military action against Islamist militants in Nigeria if the country’s government doesn’t halt the groups’ “killing of Christians.”

(5) China will effectively suspend implementation of additional export controls on rare-earth metals and terminate investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, the White House announced.

Podcast Conversation: 'The Great British Bake Off' Is a Great British Betting Zone

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