Bridget Phillipson responds to the Chancellor's announcement on the Comprehensive Spending Review

"The choices made this autumn will determine whether our economy and society can rise to the challenges ahead. The Chancellor has a chance to set a course for our economy to build a future that works for everyone, delivers growth across the country, and rebuilds the vital public services we all rely on. He must take it.

"The government must not respond to this crisis with more spending cuts – which resulted in the slowest economic recovery in eight generations. While it's welcome that it recognises the productivity gap between the UK and our competitors, it’s a gap delivered by successive Tory governments.

"In particular, the government faces choices about public services and the pay of public servants. We have all seen what happens when vital services are cut to the bone, and frontline workers have proved their worth thousands of times over in this crisis. We need a proper settlement and proper investment to build resilient public services for the future."