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Britain's Kwasi Kwarteng doubles down on tax cuts, promises fiscal discipline

At the start of the governing Conservative Party's annual conference, Kwarteng and Prime Minister Liz Truss have been forced to defend a plan that failed to spell out the financing for deep tax cuts combined with an expensive package of energy subsidies.

October 03, 2022 / 07:37 IST
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Britain's Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

British finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng will vow on Monday to stay the course with his planned tax cuts but promised an "iron-clad" commitment to fiscal discipline after a week of market turmoil in response to his growth package.

At the start of the governing Conservative Party's annual conference, Kwarteng and Prime Minister Liz Truss have been forced to defend a plan that failed to spell out the financing for deep tax cuts combined with an expensive package of energy subsidies.

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That lack of detail roiled the markets, with the pound falling to record lows against the dollar and government borrowing costs soaring. On Friday ratings agency Standard & Poor's cut the outlook on Britain's sovereign credit rating to negative, meaning a downgrade could be on the way.

But Truss and Kwarteng have resisted calls to reverse their planned abolition of a top rate of income tax and a cut in the basic rate.