Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith has issued a stark warning that Labour's economic policies are creating a "two-tier economy" in Britain.
Speaking on GB News, Griffith delivered a scathing critique of Labour's Budget contrasting it with Conservative efforts to control public spending and support wealth creators.
He explained: "It’s a two-tier economy. If you're in the public sector you’re not only getting big pay rises, but most of the public sector organisations are being cushioned from these rises, by National Insurance, by promises of more money, or indeed, more money now.
“If you're in the private sector or if you're just an individual, a farmer, a pensioner, there's no cushioning at all.
Andrew Griffith fumed at Labour for the "two-tier" economy
GB News
"In fact, you'll see your bills go up. And if you're paying taxes, you'll see your taxes pay up, and if you're trying to pass on wealth to next generation, Labour will help themselves to a slice of that too."
Labour's Budget introduced several significant changes to the tax system.
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Key changes included increases to employers' national insurance costs, modifications to capital gains tax and inheritance tax rules.
The Budget also addressed income tax personal allowance, fiscal drag, and reforms to the non-dom tax regime.
Griffith added: “You've got to have reform. And different politicians of different parties over the years haven't been fully honest about the state of the economy. The fact that as a country, we are spending £100 billion a year, and we have a very largely unreformed welfare service that is again consuming more and more money.
“And that's one of the reasons why Labour are putting up taxes, so you've got to be serious about an agenda for reform.
Labour's Autumn Budget has sparked some anger
PA“In my view you need fewer civil servants. It's ultimately people that spend money whether you were, as I was, running a business or whether you're running government.
“But you also need to be ambitious in terms of welfare reform. We live in a society where too many people of working age could work, but they don't work."
He explained: “It is bad out there now. We've got an economy that, on a per capita basis, could well tip into recession.
"We're one quarter away from tipping into a per capita recession, despite a government that came into office having lied to the British people about its policies on tax.
Andrew Griffith claimed it "fiddled the fiscal rule"
GB News
“It's fiddled the fiscal rule, something you and I care a great deal about, because what we're doing is not just the tax that's being extracted now, but also the tax that will be a burden for the next generation.
“So I think it's bad now. I think you saw on the street yesterday, in one small subset of the economy, people realising what it looks like when a government is so antithetical to people who are trying to do the right thing in society.
“I hope we don't have four years like this as a patriot, but I really hope that we use the time in opposition to craft our arguments, explain to people why it will be different next time.
“We might earn the right to be heard and we've got to come up with clear plans.”
