Rachel Reeves defends Budget comments amid row over headroom

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

49% : The Chancellor herself fed that speculation in a speech in Downing Street on November 4 when she said weaker productivity had "consequences for the public finances" in the form of "lower tax receipts".
49% : While the OBR did deliver a productivity downgrade that wiped £16 billion off expected tax receipts, much of that was cancelled out by inflation and higher wage growth, leaving a £4.2 billion surplus against Ms Reeves's borrowing rules.
49% : " Ms Reeves also pointed out that, without the productivity downgrade, she would have had £20 billion of headroom, excluding the money needed to pay for decisions on welfare.
49% : "The only thing that was unfunded was the welfare payments which she has made and she's doing it on the backs of a lot of people out there who are working very hard and getting poorer.
44% : Rachel Reeves told broadcasters on Sunday that a £4.2bn surplus against her fiscal rules would not have been enough (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA) It also did not take into account decisions such as the U-turn on cutting winter fuel payments or welfare reform, or the abolition of the two-child benefit cap, expected to take 450,000 children out of poverty.
44% : " She added: "In the context of a downgrade in our productivity, which cost £16 billion, I needed to increase taxes, and I was honest and frank about that in the speech that I gave at beginning of November.
37% : "She was raising taxes to pay for welfare.

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