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Treasury says new means test for winter fuel will save £450m But that's not for several years. This winter was due to save £1.51bn. U-turn reduces that to c.£250m But higher pension credit after campaign take up costing c.£200m So saving cd be as little as £50m this year

If markets decide winter fuel retreat is a sign of weakness then costs of UK borrow could rise If that happens, cost of U-turn will be far, far, higher than £1bn

NHS Chief Jim Mackey says Govt has "done us a good turn" in NHS spending review saying: "We are always going to be in a world where we want more money but we have got what the country can afford to give us...it is the equivalent of the GDP of Portugal." #NHSconfedexpo

Reeves makes unusual direct political attack on Nigel Farage, citing his support for Liz Truss budget and says Reform "are itching to do the same thing all over again" Trying to make a virtue of "tough choices" to raise taxes hold down spending in some areas

This combined with lower boost for NHS than expected seems to be allowing Reeves to avoid big cuts to unprotected areas so far

Police get 2.3% annual real terms increases after repeated warnings from cops that cuts would lead to missing Labour's crime targets

"Choice" is the key word of this speech. Reeves contrasting her decisions on tax and spend with Reform and the Tories to draw clear electoral battle lines

Reeves has, so far, used the term "my choice" 17 times, calculates colleague Zoë Crowther

Reeves promises 3% rise to NHS (out of 2.8% DHSC rise). Increasing spending by £29bn in cash terms As revealed here: thetimes.com/article/abb4ee…

Council tax will rise for the fastest in a generation after spending review, says Paul Johnson Spending review "assumes that council tax bills will rise by 5% a year" which means "bills look set to rise at their fastest rate over any parliament since 2001-05"

Quite the chart from the Institute for Fiscal Studies on just how far the NHS has to go to hit its target of treating people 92% within 18 weeks - one of Starmer's flagship pledges As my colleague Chris Smyth revealed this week, internal modelling suggests that it's likely to

Is this really the result of a "line by line" examination of everything the government does, and what might get more efficient? Or an arbitrary top-down savings target?

The olive branch on disability cuts will cost about £500m and is already causing concern in government about yet more unfunded spending commitments But so far hasn't won over MPs as ministers make clear they aren't shifting on the substance thetimes.com/uk/politics/ar…

Reaction from leading rebels last night was cold. "They’re doing a lot of things short of the thing they’ve actually been asked to do. We had two principal demands ... this addresses neither." Even the most moderate say it's very welcome but not *yet* enough to change their mind

Both ministers and critics agree extra transition time for those losing PIP is not a concession Ministers want it to be reassurance that will give less determined rebels a ladder to climb down But won't be enough for many

Starmer arrives at G7 in Canada Caption competition