Monday, March 11, 2024
Vive la difference
Any notion that the next general election is going to focus on the state of public services was roundly debunked by the shadow chancellor yesterday, when she refused to rule out having to make cuts in public expenditure.
Rachel Reeves may have blamed Tory carnage for this stance, but the bottom line to her statement was that Labour are not about to stick their neck out to improve health and education.
The Mirror reports that Reeves said she's "under no illusions" about the scale of the challenge she'll face if she gets into No11. And she refused to rule out real-terms cuts to some Government departments:
Ms Reeves told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that although public services need more money, the financial position the next Government will inherit is the worst since World War Two. But she said she doesn't yet know how bad things are, she said, because the opposition can't carry out a proper spending review.
The Labour frontbecher said she has to be "honest that we're not going to be able to turn things around straight away". But she vowed keep promises on education and health spending, while trying to grow the economy.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) says Tory plans "imply no real growth in public spending per person over the next five years". Meanwhile the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) accused both main parties of a "conspiracy of silence" about public spending after the election.
Asked if she planned public service cuts, Ms Reeves replied: "It is clear that the inheritance that a Labour government would have if we do win the next election will be the worst since the Second World War. And I have to be honest that we're not going to be able to turn things around straight away. But we will get to work on all of that."
So the choice we will be faced with when the election comes is actually no choice at all and Labour will be presenting as just a slightly less right-wing Tory Party.
Rachel Reeves may have blamed Tory carnage for this stance, but the bottom line to her statement was that Labour are not about to stick their neck out to improve health and education.
The Mirror reports that Reeves said she's "under no illusions" about the scale of the challenge she'll face if she gets into No11. And she refused to rule out real-terms cuts to some Government departments:
Ms Reeves told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that although public services need more money, the financial position the next Government will inherit is the worst since World War Two. But she said she doesn't yet know how bad things are, she said, because the opposition can't carry out a proper spending review.
The Labour frontbecher said she has to be "honest that we're not going to be able to turn things around straight away". But she vowed keep promises on education and health spending, while trying to grow the economy.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) says Tory plans "imply no real growth in public spending per person over the next five years". Meanwhile the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) accused both main parties of a "conspiracy of silence" about public spending after the election.
Asked if she planned public service cuts, Ms Reeves replied: "It is clear that the inheritance that a Labour government would have if we do win the next election will be the worst since the Second World War. And I have to be honest that we're not going to be able to turn things around straight away. But we will get to work on all of that."
So the choice we will be faced with when the election comes is actually no choice at all and Labour will be presenting as just a slightly less right-wing Tory Party.
