Rachel Reeves torn apart in Commons in brutal three-word response to statement | Politics | News
Rachel Reeves came under fire from the Conservative Party after making her spring statement. Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride began his answer in the House of Commons by asking the Chancellor: “Is that it?”
He continued: “What a relief, a Chancellor in denial. He talks about stability, what planet is he on?” The Conservative Party frontrunner also branded Ms Reeves’ address a “declaration of surrender”.
He said: “It’s lurched from putting in taxes to destroying growth, destroying headroom, going back to putting in more taxes, destroying more growth. We’re going round and round like a fiscal hurricane tearing apart everything in its path.”
“What is he doing while our economy is hemorrhaging? He comes into this house with nothing to say and no plan, unless doing nothing is a cunning plan to avoid further U-turns.”
Sir Mel added: “He is weak. He has even taken away the OBR’s ability to assess whether it is meeting its fiscal targets. So let’s not forget that this weak and chaotic government has given up on the British people at this time in this house.”
“He has nothing to say to us today. This is not a statement of spring, but a statement of surrender.”
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It comes after Ms Reeves insisted she had the “right economic plan” for Britain, despite the budget watchdog downgrading its growth forecast for this year.
The Office for Budget Responsibility said gross domestic product will rise 1.1% in 2026, down from a 1.4% forecast in November.
However, the watchdog raised its forecasts for 2027 and 2028 from 1.5% to 1.6%.
Briefing MPs on the state of the economy and public finances, Ms Reeves told the House of Commons: “This Government has the right economic plan for our country, which is all the more important in a world that has become even more uncertain in the last few days.”
He added: “New forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility confirm that our plan is correct – inflation is falling, borrowing is falling, living standards are rising and the economy is growing.”
