A GB News viewer has expressed scepticism over the government's explanation for the UK's economic challenges, claiming he doesn't "buy" Rachel Reeves' attempts to blame Donald Trump's tariffs for growth problems.
Rob Bright spoke to GB News today and asked "where had my money gone" after it was announced that the UK government will be borrowing more.
His comments come as the Chancellor faces mounting pressure following the International Monetary Fund's decision to slash UK growth forecasts, with domestic factors cited as playing a larger role than Trump's tariffs.
The IMF has downgraded the UK's growth forecast to just 1.1 per cent, a reduction of 0.5 percentage points since the start of the year.
Rob Bright spoke to GB News today and asked "where had my money gone"
GB NEWS
The IMF also warned that the UK now faces the highest inflation in the G7, deepening the cost-of-living crisis which Labour had vowed to end.
Tax hikes and price increases for water, energy and other public services are expected to lead to a sharp 0.7 percentage point rise in inflation to 3.1 per cent this year.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
This could make it harder for the Bank of England to deliver interest-rate reductions needed to boost consumer confidence and business investment.
Speaking to GB News, one viewer, Rob Bright said: "Well, where has all the money gone?
"I mean, they’re borrowing so much, and they’re just cutting the bits the low-hanging fruit that don’t really matter, to pay for things they think matter, but really, they don’t either
"I mean, the defence budget yes, we do need to spend more there.
"But there’s also so much money being spent where we don’t need to.
"Foreign aid? Why? Why are we spending so much on foreign aid when we have so many issues to deal with here at home?"
He added: "I absolutely don’t feel better off. I think Keir Starmer is a dangerous idealist. He’s got his own agenda whether it’s re-joining Europe, or his ties to the Law Society and the CPS. It’s not what ordinary people believe in."
Martin said: "And do you think that’s the point, Rob? They’re blaming Donald Trump for this round of borrowing. Before that, it was Putin. It was Ukraine. It was Covid. Next it could be a meteorite.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been told she can't blame the tariffs
Parliament TV"There’s always an excuse to borrow more, and always an excuse to squeeze more money out of the humble taxpayer. Rob, do you agree with that?"
Rob replied: "Well, he and Rachel Reeves laid into Boris Johnson during the pandemic, saying how badly the economy was performing.
"And now here we are with just a small tariff added to British goods going into America and suddenly that’s a major stumbling block to our growth? I don’t buy it."
