Thinktank says chancellor has given himself a mountain to climb after ducking big decisions in low-key speech John Healey has paved the way for a “brutal” spending review next year after his budget failed to cover a £28bn shortfall in the public finances needed to avoid a return to austerity, according to Britain’s leading tax and spending experts.

A day after his address to the Commons, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) warned the chancellor had left himself a mountain to climb after ducking several big decisions in his debut tax and spending statement.