The chancellor said her predecessor, Jeremy Hunt, “lied” when accusing him of deliberately covering up the truth about the state of the UK’s finances.
After announcing a series of spending cuts on Monday, Rachel Reeves said it was “inexcusable” for the Conservatives to leave a £22 billion funding black hole.
Keep up with the latest updates from Westminster here
She told Sky News: “Jeremy Hunt has hidden from the House of Commons and the country the true state of the public finances.
“He lied. And they lied during the election campaign about the state of public finances.”
Reeves added that the Conservatives promised tax cuts during the campaign “knowing all along that there was already a £22 billion black hole in the public finances”.
“It’s beyond reckless and irresponsible,” she said.
“It is unforgivable and they should never again be allowed to have their hands on power and our public finances again.”
Hunt said he was “of course” angry at being called a liar, but told Sky News: “I’m disappointed more than anything else.”
He added: “I had more regard for Rachel Reeves; in fact, I praised her on election night for being a committed public servant.
“I think she can do better than that.
“I find it very disappointing that the new government chooses to pursue politics in this way. I think it actually discredits politics when people call themselves liars.”
Reeves almost didn’t call Mr. Hunt a liar during his speech in the House of Commons yesterday, where calling a deputy a liar could lead to suspension.
But she didn’t hold back when speaking to Sky News this morning.
See more information:
Analysis: Chancellor’s spending cuts
Keep up with the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Reeves doubled down, telling Sky News that the Conservative government did not give independent pay review bodies responsibility for what was affordable this year.
The bodies advise the government on what public sector workers, such as those in the NHS, should receive each year after receiving government assignments – which are not linked to the recommendations.
Ms. Reeves said she “didn’t know until I became chancellor” that the previous government had not provided an accessibility mandate.
She said the cost of implementing the pay review bodies’ recommendations was £9.4 billion and called on government departments to absorb £3.2 billion to reduce the cost of resolving disputes with public sector workers.
“But the alternative is a situation where we continue to struggle to recruit and retain soldiers and officers in our armed forces, where we continue to struggle to recruit doctors and nurses in our NHS and where we continue to struggle to retain public sector workers,” she said. .
“And that also has a cost.”
What cuts did the chancellor announce?
Reeves admitted he had to make “difficult decisions” on Monday, including suspending winter fuel payments to some pensioners to save £1.5 billion a year.
She warned: “There are more difficult choices to come. I’m not singling out any group.
“There will be more difficult choices in the autumn, but it was important to make this choice yesterday to put our public finances on a firmer footing and control public spending.”
This story originally appeared on News.sky.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23988688/acastro_STK069_appleTVPlus_01.jpg?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Apple’s original content spending spree may finally end")