Sunak faces pressure to raise benefits in line with inflation

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( November 15, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / //link.e.independent.co.uk/click/29698965.49697/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaW5kZXBlbmRlbnQuY28udWsvbmV3cy91ay9wb2xpdGljcw/583d2887487ccd777a8b7489B39f0ebc7Pensioners set to escape raid on spending as Sunak faces pressure to raise benefits in line with inflation]( [Rishi Sunak]( has been urged to raise all benefits in line with [inflation]( as he gave one of his strongest hints yet that “[triple lock](” protection for the [state pension]( will be preserved in [Thursday’s autumn statement](. Speaking ahead of [Jeremy Hunt](’s 17 November [mini-Budget](, the prime minister said that pensioners were “at the forefront of my mind” and promised that the chancellor’s tax-and-spend plans had “fairness and compassion” at their hearts. As they welcomed his comments, one charity warned that the triple lock commitment could mean the difference between “frightened” pensioners using their central heating or not this winter. But against the backdrop of a widespread [cost of living crisis](, Mr Sunak faced calls to commit to raising all benefits, including those for working-age people, in line with prices. Ryan Shorthouse, chief executive of the Conservative think tank Bright Blue, said: “It is intellectually indefensible to protect the value of the state pension in line with inflation but not universal credit. Either both rise by inflation or both rise by earnings.”   2 / [Midterm elections: Republicans one seat away from retaking House with slim majority]( Republicans need 218 seats to claim a majority in the House of Representatives 3 / [Tales of torture emerge as Kherson celebrates freedom from months of Russian occupation]( In the liberated city, [Bel Trew]( finds joy at President Zelensky’s triumphant visit overshadowed by stories of horror 4 / [UK unemployment rises to 3.6 per cent as recession looms]( Half a million working days were lost to strikes in August and September, the ONS said 5 / [Paris overtakes London as Europe’s largest stock market]( Gap narrowing since Brexit referendum finally closes, according to Bloomberg     The Big Question What can we expect from the Autumn Budget? Chancellor [Jeremy Hunt]( will deliver his [Autumn Budget]( to Parliament on Thursday 17 November, finally offering clarity on how [Rishi Sunak](’s government plans to restore order to Britain’s public finances. Having succeeded [Kwasi Kwarteng]( on 14 October following the debacle of the latter’s ill-conceived and ill-timed “mini-Budget” of 23 September – which tanked the pound and brought a swift end to the premiership of [Liz Truss]( – Mr Hunt postponed a statement originally intended for Halloween to buy himself more time. He is now widely expected to unveil a package of tax rises worth £25bn and spending cuts of £35bn in order to plug a £60bn funding black hole in Treasury coffers and reassure global markets that Britain remains a trusted trading partner. Mr Sunak has insisted Mr Hunt has [no choice but to deliver on the expectations of the markets](by putting Britain’s finances on a more even keel through tax hikes, without which the country would risk a return to the chaos that ensued after the Truss-Kwarteng announcement of £45bn in unfunded tax cuts seven weeks ago. 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