A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News.
Leading the week
Jeremy Hunt will continue the fine tradition of recent chancellors when he holds a major fiscal event just weeks into the job, and the Autumn Statement Hunt delivers on Thursday (17 November) is likely to be just as consequential as Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget or Rishi Sunak’s first pandemic-era announcements. Hunt will unveil a beefed-up version of the fiscal plan promised by his immediate predecessor in the wake of the market-crashing September budget, with a full evaluation of the public finances from the OBR due alongside the new chancellor’s tax and spend plans.
Hunt has been following the Sunak playbook by drip-feeding content to media in the lead up to the event itself, so we already have a good idea of what to expect from the chancellor’s speech when he steps up to the dispatch box next week: action on tax thresholds, with a potential return for the 50p rate; a new windfall tax on energy firms’ profits to help with household bills; confirmation of public sector pay rates; and a decision on the uprating of benefits and pensions from next year.
While the content of the statement may not be much of a surprise, the devil will be entirely in the detail for Hunt as he attempts to balance the books and fill a financial black hole which some estimates put as high as £60 billion.
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Amid the fiscal difficulties, the political implications of this event should not be forgotten: rumblings of discontent on the backbenches over potentially manifesto-busting tax rises could easily flare up into another Conservative civil war at a time when the government desperately needs to project stability, particularly at a time when Rishi Sunak’s judgment is already being called into question.
The most controversial World Cup in living memory finally kicks off on Sunday (20 November) as hosts Qatar face Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium.
The build-up to the tournament has been dominated by criticisms of the country’s stance on LGBTQ+ and human rights, with disgraced former FIFA President Sepp Blatter admitting that awarding the tournament to the gulf state was “a mistake”.
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The treatment of migrant construction workers in particular has come under intense scrutiny, as estimates suggest some 6,500 labourers have lost their lives – a figure dismissed by Qatari authorities.
Qatar has spent an eye-watering $200bn to stage the tournament, a figure which dwarfs the total spend of the last eight World Cups combined. As part of its preparations, the country has built seven air-conditioned stadiums, a new airport, a metro system, and around 100 new hotels to house fans. With so many issues already hanging over the tournament before a ball has even been kicked, FIFA will be hoping that their gamble to stage a first World Cup on Middle Eastern soil pays off.
Looking abroad
It’s a busy week for Rishi Sunak: while Jeremy Hunt is putting the finishing touches on the Autumn Statement, Sunak will be in Bali for the G20 Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday (15-16 November).
While Sunak won’t have to make good on his plans to “confront” Vladimir Putin at the gathering after Moscow confirmed the Russian president won’t be attending, he will get a chance to have his first face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden (Wednesday) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among others.
Leaders will look to find solutions to the global cost of living and energy crises, with a virtual address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky helping to focus minds on the root of so much of the disruption.
The summit coverage, however, is likely to be dominated by China after the White House announced that Biden will hold his first in-person talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday (14 November). The long-awaited meeting comes at a particularly tense time for relations between Washington and Beijing, and Biden has said he’s hoping to get an understanding of Xi’s ‘red lines’ and discuss Taiwan.
Following a decidedly underwhelming Republican performance in Tuesday’s midterms, next week is shaping up to be a potentially important one as attention now turns to the 2024 presidential race.
At the time of writing, former President Donald Trump has announced no changes to his plans to make a “very big announcement” at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday (15 November) on another run for the White House, though reports suggest he is under pressure to postpone, possibly until after the 6 December run-off in the Georgia Senate race.
Trump also faces another decision next week: whether to comply with the subpoena issued by the Jan. 6 Committee requiring him to sit down for a deposition on Monday (14 November) to answer questions under oath on the storming of the US Capitol in 2021.
Also look out for
November 14
- Home Office questions in the Commons
- Michael Gove addresses CPS Margaret Thatcher conference
- Church of England General Synod meeting
- Vote on Ukraine reparations resolution at UNGA
- EU foreign ministers meet
- COP27 Gender Day & Water Day
November 15
- COP27 High-Level Segment resumes
- James Cleverly at committee on EU relationship
- Kathryn Stone gives evidence to Committee on Standards
- IEA publishes report on coal and net zero
- Ballot closes for RMT strike mandate renewal
November 16
- UK inflation figures
- NASA Artemis I launch attempt
- Steve Barclay addresses NHS Providers Conference
- Andrew Bailey at committee session on BoE monetary policy reports
- Dominic Raab and Angela Rayner at Deputy PMQs
- COP27 Biodiversity Day
November 17
- Tom Tugendhat sentenced for using phone while driving
- Verdict in Dutch MH17 trial
- APEC Ministerial Meeting
- IAEA Board of Governors Meeting
November 18
- Jeremy Hunt interviewed on the Today programme
- Ursula von der Leyen addresses IISS Manama Dialogue
- Emmanuel Macron and Kamala Harris at APEC CEO Summit
- Benjamin Netanyahu and Mike Pence at RCJ Leadership Meeting
November 19
- Francophonie Summit
- Snap parliamentary elections in Malaysia
- England v New Zealand Autumn Nations Series
November 20
- Elections in Kazakhstan, Equatorial Guinea and Nepal
- Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Sebastian Vettel’s final F1 race
- Joe Biden turns 80
Statistics, reports & surveys
November 14
- Resolution Foundation report on energy costs
- Northern Ireland Boundary Commission proposals (this week)
- OPEC monthly oil market report
November 15
- UK Labour Market statistics (unemployment)
- Universal Credit statistics
- EU and Japan Q3 GDP
- China monthly economic data
- Results from: Vodafone, Walmart, Imperial Tobacco, Land Securities
November 16
- UK House Price Index
- Private housing rental prices
- Results from: SSE, Tencent Holdings, Experian Group, British Land
November 17
- HMICFRS report on police vetting and counter-corruption
- Annual figures on children looked after by local authorities in England
- Quarterly knife crime statistics
- Annual figures on affordable housing supply
- EU inflation statistics
- Landmine Monitor Report 2022
- Results from: Royal Mail Group, Siemens, ThyssenKrupp, Gap Stores, Burberry
November 18
- UK Retail Sales
Anniversaries & awareness days
November 14
- Anti-bullying week (to November 18)
- Road Safety Week (to November 20)
- Living Wage Week (to November 20)
- Switch-Off Fortnight (to November 27)
- King Charles III turns 74
- 100 years ago: first BBC radio broadcast
November 15
- Steve Irwin Day
- Day of the Imprisoned Writer
November 16
- UK Disability History Month (to December 16)
November 17
- World Prematurity Day
- Social Enterprise Day
- National Unfriend Day
November 18
- Independence Day (Morocco)
- World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (to November 24)
November 19
- Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
- World Toilet Day
- International Men’s Day
- One year ago: woman held powers of US Presidency for first time
November 20
- Equal Pay Day
- Universal Children’s Day
- International Transgender Day of Remembrance
- One month ago: Liz Truss announced resignation
- 75 years ago: Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip married
Picture: Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
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