I've mentioned in the past how I've had very mixed results when setting vague 'Research the Budget' tasks for homework. The last few years, I've had tried to combat this with some really structured tasks which can be used in class or for homework, and I've done the same for the Autumn 2021Budget.
The download at the bottom contains the following:
Student Guide - includes 5 useful websites for students
Task A - guides students through the Executive Summary (6 pages, so quite hefty), as well as looking at 3 important abbreviations in the Government report. This task would work well even if students haven't studied much Macro, since it is more a research task, rather than an analytical one. It is probably the longest task.
Task B - looks at the impact of the Budget on different groups in society. This lays some foundations for evaluation
Task C - involves analysing policies within the Budget
Task D - requires students to generate 3 sentences from each of a selection of quotations from the Executive Summary. This helps students to build those all-important application skills by encouraging them to build upon information from a text, and highlights the need for context. It is probably the most challenging task, but the most worthwhile to my mind.
Task E - uses a BBC Reality Check article to look at the validity of claims made in the Budget Statement. It is a great resource for encouraging critical reading
Task F - uses some graphs and charts about the Budget for students to practise their quantitative skills
Task G - a quick activity looking at some data on the UK Economy to give context to the Budget. This task would work well as a starter, just project it on a screen.
I doubt that you'd want to do all of the activities (although they'd make a worthwhile pack for a few cover lessons), but hopefully it gives you a selection to pick and choose from based on what you want your students need at the moment.