SNP Warns of 'Brutal Budget' as UK Faces Rising Inflation and Financial Pressures

The UK is bracing itself for what the SNP's Dave Doogan has called 'another brutal budget', with concerns rising over tax and spending plans that could lead to 'a bad case of Westminster deja vu'.

This warning comes after Prime Minister Andy Burnham acknowledged next month's Budget will be 'challenging'. The Chancellor, John Healey, is set to unveil his first budget in October, but the SNP leader fears Labour ministers are 'softening people up for a Westminster budget of cuts and tax rises'.

The latest official figures show inflation reaching a five-month high, with Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation up to 3.1% in August. This rise is linked to high petrol and diesel costs, with the Bank of England warning that volatile global energy costs could push inflation higher still.

With financial pressures mounting across the country, Mr Doogan claimed that the UK Government is 'cynically rolling the pitch for another brutal budget in Brexit Britain'. He warned that people will be thinking they are living through a 'bad case of Westminster deja vu' and questioned Labour's ability to deliver change.