Reeves’s economic legacy shapes Burnham agenda, Guardian analysis argues

Rachel Reeves is expected to use a Harvard speech on Monday to defend her economic record and argue that closer European Union ties, potentially including renewed membership, can combine political ambition with economic credibility, according to the Guardian. The former chancellor will also praise Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s approach to Europe, despite his decision to remove her from government.

The Guardian’s analysis argues that Reeves’s earlier proposals on regional tax powers and public investment now underpin the government’s programme. It reports that devolving a share of national taxes is central to successor John Healey’s budget, while changes to fiscal rules enabled a multiyear commitment to an eventual £100bn in additional capital spending.

The policy overlap concerns who controls public money and where investment goes. The source reports that funding is beginning to reach NHS infrastructure, roads, housing, rail and energy projects. It also connects regional tax powers to Reeves’s argument that major cities outside London have lagged European counterparts, without establishing the policies’ eventual results.