Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreRachel Reeves is planning billions of pounds of cuts to benefits and other public spending ahead of this month’s Spring Statement, it has emerged. The chancellor will present major changes to the government’s spending watchdog on Wednesday amid fears her fiscal wiggle room after October’s Budget has been wiped out. Treasury sources said “the world has changed” since Ms Reeves delivered Labour’s first Budget in power, when she had a £9.9 billion buffer in her spending plans. Since then, economic growth has flatlined, while inflation and borrowing costs in the UK have risen. Donald Trump’s looming tariff wars also threaten to hit the British economy, even if Britain is exempt, Ms Reeves warned on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed talks have begun with Mr Trump’s administration on a trade deal which would let Britain avoid a tariff war with the US. But a Treasury source told The Independent that, given the rate at which the welfare bill is spiralling, “this is something we would need to do” anyway. The chancellor is expected to oversee a deep cut to benefit spending More
