26 March 2025, 07:48

By Shiv Pabary

Don’t expect to hear the word ‘dentistry’ slip off Rachel Reeves tongue as she delivers her Spring Statement later today.

However, the treatment of this service by the Treasury neatly encapsulates the position the government finds itself in.

Having made many worthy promises, the Government - critics say - looks set to deliver a rerun of austerity.

Is that so? Well, a few weeks ago a charge hike for dental patients was quietly slipped out without fanfare. At about 2.3% it’s below inflation and will kick in on 1 April. Fair enough, really?

Well no. Because the new Chancellor appears to be borrowing from the playbook of her Conservative predecessors - using these charges as cover for cuts.

Back in 2015 the George Osborne’s Spending Review committed........

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