Chancellor urged to reconsider refusal to be questioned

The Chancellor has been urged to think again on his refusal to be grilled by MPS on his Spending Review.

Mel Stride, chairman of the Commons Treasur y committee, has written to Rishi Sunak requesting again that he appear before the panel to answer questions about the one- year review, which he revealed on Wednesday.

Mr Sunak announced what amounted to a pay f reeze f or an estimated 1.3 million public sector workers and cut overseas aid from 0.7 per cent to 0.5 per centof gross national income ( GNI) in 2021, slicing about £ 5 billion from the budget.

The overseas aid cut has been widely criticised by the sector and MPS, including those on the Government backbenches.

Former i nt e r nat i onal development s ecretar y Justine Greening is the latest Tory to wade in, labelling it a "weak decision" in an interview with BBC Newscast.

Mr Sunak also told MPS on Wednesday the economy is not scheduled to recover to pre- coronavirus crisis levels until the end of 2022.

According to the Commons Treasury Committee, the Office for Budget Responsibilit y ( OBR) and a host of economists have agreed to give evidence about the Spending Review and current fiscal situation, but the Chancellor has so far declined.

In his letter, ex- Treasury minister Mr Stride told the Cabinet minister, who has been in the job since February, that his predecessors had shown a willingness to give evidence, especially during times of economic upheaval.

He said: "The committee and I do not agree that y o u r n e x t a p p e a r a n c e would b e most a ppr o - priate after the Budget.”