Chancellor Rachel Reeves has her critics. And her critics are right.
I could write a book on her early blunders, but here’s a quick rundown of the greatest hits.
Scrapping the winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners, sparking an instant voter revolt.Handing public sector workers £9billion in pay rises without demanding a shred of productivity in return.Spooking taxpayers with promises of a “difficult” Budget, then making them stew for four months, destroying confidence and growth.Unleashing a record £40billion of tax hikes when the tax burden was already at an all-time high.Claiming she wouldn’t hike taxes on “working people”, then doing exactly that via a National Insurance rise for employers.Slapping inheritance tax on farms and family businesses, punishing some of Britain’s hardest workers of all.Sinking her personal credibility, by embellishing her CV and getting friends to foot the bill for those sharp trouser suits. So when she tried to slash £5billion from disability benefits in the Spring Statement, she lacked the moral authority to do so.Instead of saving money, Reeves triggered a civil war inside Labour.
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