U.K.’s Javid Signals Government Austerity May Not Yet Be Over

Treasury to announce spending round results on Sept. 4
Chancellor says round is not a blank check for departments

A member of medical staff secures his face mask inside a operating theater at a hospital in Birmingham, U.K.Photographer: Matthew Lloyd/Bloomberg

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By Jess Shankleman

August 27, 2019 at 9:33 PM UTC

Updated on

August 28, 2019 at 10:21 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid warned ministers they shouldn’t expect “blank checks” when he announces the result of his spending round next week.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Javid confirmed Sept. 4 as the date he’ll set departmental budgets for the fiscal year 2020/21. That’s the day after Parliament returns from more than five weeks of recess, fueling speculation the government is on an election footing.