Spending review is a chance for Reeves to paint a more positive picture

The chancellor has overseen a big uplift in public spending, but the debate has been dominated instead by the coming squeeze on ‘unprotected’ departments. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Rachel Reeves hopes to use Wednesday’s spending review to tell a long-overdue story about Labour’s purpose in power that looks beyond fixing the Tories’ fiscal mess.

After the winter fuel U-turn and Labour’s battering at the hands of Reform in last month’s local elections, the chancellor’s team are well aware that voters and backbench MPs need reasons to believe.