In an address to the House of Commons, Labour’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveiled an audit detailing the ‘state’ of the nation's finances, revealing alleged ‘fiscal mismanagement’ by the previous Conservative government.
Shadow Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivered a robust critique of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' recent fiscal statement in the Chamber. Hunt accused the Chancellor of using the announcement as a political manoeuvre to justify future tax increases and project cancellations, rather than addressing the purported fiscal issues with transparency.
Hunt labelled Reeves' statement a "shameless attempt" to lay the groundwork for tax increases, asserting that she is leveraging a purported fiscal crisis for political ends. He argued that the state of public finances was already apparent before the election, citing independent sources like the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Local Conservatives in Congleton, Cheshire have highlighted their major concerns with the Labour Chancellor’s announcement and what it means for local people and infrastructure investment.
Sean Houlston, Deputy Chairman of the Congleton Conservatives said:
“Labour’s announcement is a kick in the teeth for Cheshire. We’ve known about problems with dangerous reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) at Leighton Hospital for some time now, but only the Conservatives had a clear plan to fix the issue and rebuild our local hospital.
“The Chancellor’s announcement to conduct a complete review of the new hospital programme puts the rebuild plans at risks. Patients at Leighton Hospital needed the rebuild, not only to combat the dangers of RAAC collapse, but also to create a modern, efficient hospital fit for the 21st century.
“The Conservatives had a plan and clear timeline to fix this problem. We will keep fighting to protect our hospital’s future.”
