Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, told cabinet colleagues this morning that the government could not “turn around 14 years of decline in one year or one budget”. With the budget taking place two weeks tomorrow, Keir Starmerheld a political cabinet this morning (a cabinet for party political discussion, not debate on government business), and the Labour party has sent out a readout saying Reeves had a difficult message for her follow ministers.
A Labour spokesperson said:
The prime minister said that the first Labour budget in 14 years would prioritise stabilising the economy, fixing the foundations, and growing our way to a better Britain. He added that prioritising growth is vital to break the country out of the low growth, high tax doom loop it has been stuck in for the past 14 years.The chancellor updated the cabinet on preparations for the budget and the spending review, which she said is an opportunity to put the country on a firmer footing.The chancellor highlighted the £22bn black hole inheritance from the previous government that needed to be filled just to keep public services standing still.The chancellor said that the scale of inheritance meant there would have to be difficult decisions on spending, welfare, and tax – and that the long-term priority had to be unlocking private sector investment to drive economic growth.The chancellor told cabinet the budget would focus on putting the public finances on a strong footing and being honest with the British people about the scale of the challenge.The chancellor said the government could not turn around 14 years of decline in one year or one budget. However, the budget would deliver on the government’s priorities to protect working people, fix the NHS, and rebuild Britain.
Comentarios