Another fail for Rachel Reeves as doom-laden warnings beset UK economy

It's another day and another fail for Rachel Reeves. This time, it's doom-laden warnings that the UK economy will struggle to grow next year, largely because of the Chancellor's tax hikes and spending cuts.

The globally respected Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has said that our growth rate will fall sharply from a limp 1.4% this year to a dismal 1% in 2026. Economists from the influential organisation also predict that UK inflation will surge, with Britain experiencing the highest level among the G7 group of advanced economies this year. That is a nightmare for UK plc.

And it piles pressure on Ms Reeves ahead of her crunch Budget on November 26, when she is widely expected to hike taxes and slash spending again.

Ms Reeves has had a disastrous first 14 months as Chancellor, which has seen her lurch from crisis to crisis.

Catastrophes over scrapping the winter fuel payment and Labour's botched handling of disability benefits have hugely damaged her political credibility.

But a flatlining economy, soaring borrowing, rising unemployment and the threat of more tax rises have left voters fed up and wondering when the gloom will ever end.

This autumn is critical for the Chancellor as she desperately tries to balance the books and kick-start the flagging economy.