John McDonnell MP, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, commenting on the IFS’s Green Budget, which shows that the Government will have to find an extra £19bn a year if it is to uphold Theresa May’s promise that “austerity is over”, said:

“The IFS has calculated what, as a minimum, the Chancellor needs to find. But we all know that there is a lot more needed to be done to end and reverse the harm austerity has caused.”

Ends

Notes for editors

· This £19bn appears to be in addition to the £20bn that the Government still has not found for the NHS.

· The IFS’s Green Budget: https://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/13508

· “The government will have to find an extra £19bn a year if it is to uphold Theresa May’s promise that “austerity is over”, a major report has said.” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45863582