Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has launched a stinging attack on Sir Keir Starmer, telling GB News the Prime Minister is “showing his true colours”.
The Labour leader has already said difficult decisions will have to be made to fill a public funding “black hole”.
Starmer warned of economic and social pressures in the months to come with the Labour Government taking “unpopular decisions” to rebuild the country from the “rubble and ruin” left by the Tories.
But according to Jenrick, the woes to be experienced by Britons will be of Labour’s own doing.
Robert Jenrick lashed out at the Labour leader
PA / GB NEWS
“Keir Starmer has already begun to show his true colours”, he said.
“He is presenting a black hole in the public finances, but it’s a black hole of his and Rachel Reeves’s own creation.
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“The £20 billion figure that he speaks of is comprised of a £10 billion a year payoff to the trade union paymasters and £8 billion that he’s spending on Great British Energy, which seems to take inspiration from Robin Hood Energy, a ludicrous energy company created by my neighbouring Labour City Council in Nottingham which went bankrupt.
“They are taking political choices and I think they are wrong choices. I think they are selfish choice and as a result of these choices, taxes are going to be raised this autumn on the middle classes in our country, which is going to harm economic growth and investment in the UK.
“Vulnerable people like pensioners, 10 million of them are going to lose their winter fuel allowance purely to pay for these political choices of Keir Starmer.”
Sir Keir warned Britons the Government’s first Budget on October 30 was “going to be painful” as he hinted at tax rises.
Robert Jenrick joined Jacob Rees-Mogg on GB News
GB NEWS
The PM blamed the previous Conservative Government for weakening the nation and vowed to fix it.
He also took aim at them for recent unrest with riots breaking out across the country.
“We have not just inherited an economic black hole, but a societal black hole”, he said in the speech.
Labour have already announced the removal of winter fuel payment for 10 million pensioners in England and Wales.
Priti Patel, Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, Mel Stride, Kemi Badenoch and James Cleverly are in the running for Tory leaderPAHe added: “Just as when I responded to the riots, I’ll have to turn to the country and make big asks of you to accept short-term pain for long term good. The difficult trade-off for the genuine solution.”
The Budget will be unveiled with outgoing Tory leader Rishi Sunak still leader of the opposition.
The party is gearing up for another leadership contest as it seeks to win back favourability amongst the electorate.
It has been almost two months since Rishi Sunak announced he’d been stepping down as leader of the Conservatives after their disastrous showing at the general election.
Jenrick has put his name in the hat to replace the outgoing leader who still has to wait until November before he can finally be relieved of his duties.
Voting will finally begin next week with Priti Patel, Kemi Badenoch, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Mel Stride the other names vying for the role.