Rachel Reeves delivers brutal slap all the way down to Jeremy Hunt over state of the financial system
Rachel Reeves will accuse Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt of “gaslighting” the British people about the state of the economy.
In a speech in the City of London on Tuesday, the Shadow Chancellor will warn they are “completely out of touch” with the reality facing ordinary families.
The Bank of England will announce on Thursday whether it will cut interest rates, while economic figures on Friday could show the country is no longer in recession. Ms Reeves will argue that despite Mr Hunt repeatedly claiming “the economy is turning a corner” it does not reflect “reality”.
“During the local elections I travelled across the country. I spoke to hundreds of people. I listened to their stories,” she will say. “And when they hear government ministers telling them that they have never had it so good. That they should look out for the ‘feelgood factor.’ All they hear is a government that is deluded and completely out of touch with the realities on the ground. The Conservatives are gaslighting the British public.”
Ms Reeves will tell an audience of business leaders that Labour will fight the next election on the economy. She will say that voters will have a clear choice between “five more years of Conservative chaos or stability with a changed Labour Party.”
After the Tories faced a drubbing in local elections when they lost almost 500 councillors and saw Andy Street ousted as Mayor of the West Midlands, Ms Reeves will argue the results show that “the Conservatives have lost the confidence of the country, and the British people are ready for change, ready for Labour”.
She will say that the country’s economic challenges “require vision, courage, and responsible government”. In contrast she will say all Mr Sunak and Mr Hunt can offer is “more of the same… low growth, higher taxes, and public services in deep decline. Putting out the same soundbites over and over again, and hoping something will turn up or that people will finally believe them”.
