Britain’s finance chief on Wednesday announced a major increase in public spending in what critics have branded a “high-tax, big-spending budget.” Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said he will increase total departmental spending by £150 billion ($206 billion) by the 2024–25 financial year. “That’s the largest increase this century, with spending growing by 3.8 percent a year in real terms,” he said. The government is boosting spending on healthcare by £44 billion ($60.5 billion) to over £177 billion ($243.4 billion), he told the House of Commons. The government said the public spending hike is backed by better-than-expected economic forecasts. “Employment is up. Investment is growing. Public services are improving. The public finances are stabilising. And wages are rising,” said Sunak. “Today’s budget delivers a stronger economy for the British people: stronger growth, with the UK recovering faster than our major competitors,” he said. Sunak acknowledged that the tax …