The chancellor swerved any budget announcements, but in a nod to businesses — which are fearing a tax grab on Oct. 28 — Healey said that fiscal discipline and British firms are key to his plans for “growth in every postcode.” 

“We need wealth created in more places, new levels of confidence, investment and, yes, profit. It’s business that will create this country's growth and wealth,” he said. 

“The prime minister and I are united in meeting the fiscal rules, and reducing long-term pressures on our finances — there is nothing progressive about losing control.”