Most voters DON’T believe Keir Starmer’s gloomy claims about the public finances as PM and Chancellor Rachel Reeves draft ‘painful’ Budget to fill £22bn ‘black hole’ _ Hieuuk
Most voters don’t believe Labour‘s claims that the public finances are in a worse state than they thought prior to the general election, a poll has shown.
Both Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves have hit out at their ‘dire’ economic inheritance from the previous Tory government since taking office.
In a gloomy speech this week, the PM said that ‘things are worse than we ever imagined’ as he repeated Labour’s claim of a £22billion ‘black hole’ in the nation’s books.
But a YouGov survey for The Times revealed that more than half of voters (52 per cent) think it was probably not true that the public finances were in a worse position than Labour thought.
They agreed that Labour probably would have known just how bad the situation was before the general election on 4 July.
This compared to 36 per cent who said Labour’s claims are probably true and they have found things to be worse than they expected before winning power.
In a gloomy speech this week, Sir Keir Starmer said that ‘things are worse than we ever imagined’ as he repeated Labour’s claim of a £22billion ‘black hole’ in the nation’s books
On a visit to Scotland on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves repeatedly refused to rule out hikes to inheritance tax and capital gains tax at her first Budget
The poll also found the Government’s approval rating had dropped 20 points in a month, with 51 per cent of voters disapproving of Labour’s record compared with 23 per cent who approve.
Sir Keir and Ms Reeves have been accused of offering a gloomy view on the state of the economy in order to pave the way for tax rises at Labour’s first Budget on 30 October.
In his speech in Downing Street’s rose garden on Tuesday, the PM warned of a ‘painful’ fiscal statement in two months time.
He also urged Britons to ‘accept short-term pain for long-term good’.
On a visit to Scotland on Wednesday, Ms Reeves repeatedly refused to rule out hikes to inheritance tax and capital gains tax at her first Budget as she warned of ‘difficult decisions’ ahead.
Jeremy Hunt, the Conservative shadow chancellor, said Ms Reeves’ ‘attempt to blame her economic inheritance for her decision to raise taxes – tax rises she had always planned – will not wash with the public’.
He added: ‘Reeves and Starmer have spent weeks talking down the economy, whilst simultaneously handing over billions in inflation busting pay rises for their union paymasters.
‘It simply does not add up. Labour promised over 50 times in the election they would not raise people’s taxes and now they are laying the ground to do just that.
‘We will hold them to account on their promises.’
