Rachel Reeves pledges to ‘invest, invest, invest’ as she prepares to unveil historic Labour Budget

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Get our free View from Westminster email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Rachel Reeves will unveil her historic Budget – the first by a Labour chancellor in 14 years – with a message of hope for the UK as she pledges to deliver economic growth and put money back in people’s pockets with a rise in the national minimum wage. The rhetoric appears to deliberately echo Tony Blair’s three priorities of “education, education, education” ahead of the 1997 election as Ms Reeves attempts to grasp the optimism of his New Labour government in what is widely expected to be a gloomy Budget. open image in gallery Reeves prepares for the autumn Budget However, her Budget comes amid growing warnings of the impact of some of the measures which have already been revealed: Trade union leaders have told her that if she is genuine about an end to austerity, she will have to fund massive public sector pay rises in the new year The hospitality industry has warned that a 6.7 per cent hike in the minimum wage will leave the sector as “collateral damage” Question marks have been raised over whether her expected 4 per cent increase in NHS spending will be enough to cut waiting lists after the bumper pay deal she agreed to for doctors Manchester’s Labour mayor Andy Burnham has come out against a 50 per cent rise in the bus fare cap to £3 Offering some hope, Ms Reeves will promise the decisions in her Budget on Wednesday will lead to “more pounds in people’s pockets. The Tories have accused Ms Reeves of “making up” the £22bn black hole, pointing out she found similar levels of money to pay for bumper public sector pay rises.