RACHEL Reeves has warned of being “kicked out” of office if Labour don’t deliver on the NHS and living standards amid the threat from Reform.
The Chancellor delivered a damning verdict on her party’s prospects saying they must deliver in a major wake-up call to Cabinet colleagues.
1
Fears were also raised that Labour could receive an electoral drubbing similar to that received by Rishi Sunak last July – says after Nigel Farage’s party led a national opinion poll for the first time.
The Chancellor told The Political Party with Matt Forde said: “There’s lots of strategies for beating Reform or beating the Tories but in the end we have to deliver, haven’t you.
“At the next election, if people still find as hard to get a doctor’s appointment and they’re no better off, they are going to kick us out, like they kicked the last lot out.”
Reeves – who has put growth as the government’s number one mission – added that her party “have to show that we can be better”.
The Chancellor added that Reform leader Nigel Farage will want to say “things haven’t got any better” under Labour and “give us a go”.
She said: “We’ve got to show that people’s lives are better after five years of a Labour government.”
Her comments come after Sir Keir Starmer stepped up the attacks on Reform with a series of videos showing illegal migrants being deported from the UK.
Her comments come after the government has received a barrage of criticism since ending universal winter fuel payments, increasing national insurance contributions for business and hitting farmers with inheritance tax hikes.
Meanwhile, Ms Reeves said that “a deal can be done” with Donald Trump to avoid punishing steel tariffs hitting British firms.
The US President has put levies at 25 per cent on steel and aluminimum goods heading to the US.
Ms Reeves added: “We have got a steel sector that’s really important to our economy. About 10 per cent of the steel we make in Britain gets exported to the US.
“That’s an important market for us. We also import steel from the US as well. And as I said, we don’t have a trade surplus with America. I strongly believe that a deal can be done.”
She said: “Unlike many other countries around the world, we don’t run a trade surplus with the U.S.”
The Chancellor also revealed that she was taking a lesson from Trump’s positivity after claims within business that Ministers were talking the economy down last year.
She has also faced criticism that Ministers had dented confidence in the economy.
Ms Reeves said: “I’m still trying – it’s the middle of February now – to be more positive.
“We did inherit a mess, and it’s difficult not to talk about it. But I’m trying not to.
“I’m trying to be really positive about, you know, the huge potential, because we have got huge potential as a country. You know, great businesses, great skills, great universities.
“There’s so much going for us. So I’m trying to be trying to sort of channel my inner American and be more positive about things.”
Matt Forde’s West End The Political Party residency at The Duchess theatre with Alastair Campbell on 10th March, Anthony Scaramucci on 31st March and Wes Streeting on 12th May.
