Upcoming Budget could be defining for the country and that’s why lessons of the past decade need to be learned

The Government has inherited an invidious set of circumstances. However, to do nothing or to shirk the challenges ahead will not be acceptable to a public that has been promised change.

It doesn’t matter where the Government looks, tough decisions will have to be made.

Take the warning from the Calderdale Against School Cuts (CASC) campaigners, here in Yorkshire. The CASC survey highlighted how “the school funding crisis hasn’t disappeared, and hardship isn’t on hold”.

Yet Chancellor Rachel Reeves is looking to claw back up to £40bn in tax rises and spending cuts at the Budget later this month.

At the same time, Labour is keen to avoid a return to austerity. The question is how it squares that circle. The spending cuts will have to fall somewhere and tax rises will only mean a further tightening of belts.

There are some breaks in the dark economic clouds that have been lingering over Britain in recent years. New figures released on Wednesday showed inflation dropped below the Bank of England target rate last month for the first time since April 2021.

What people deserve to know is where the money has gone? Yes, global events such as the pandemic and the war in Ukraine sent economies into a turmoil but Britain continues to suffer as a result of a stagnant economy.

One of the countless previous Chancellors of the recent past liked to talk a lot about fixing the roof while the sun was shining. Instead, pre-Covid the nation was fixated with ripping out its own foundations instead of addressing the issues.