Labour Should Apologise To Voters

Chancellor admits £18bn cuts warning was true

The SNP has demanded Rachel Reeves apologise to the public for “misleading voters” – after the Chancellor finally admitted there is a £20 billion black hole in Labour’s spending plans.

Throughout the election, the SNP repeatedly warned that Labour’s plans would mean around £18 billion of cuts to public services, or tax rises. Senior Labour figures including Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, Ian Murray and Anas Sarwar all denied this – with the Scottish Labour leader accusing the SNP of spreading “misinformation and lies” and “ludicrous claims and attacks”, and the Scottish Secretary accusing the SNP of “peddling mince”.

Yet, today, the Chancellor has finally admitted there is a £20 billion black hole, and is attempting to build a case for cuts to public services and tax rises ahead of the UK budget in October, despite promising during the election “I don’t want to make any cuts to public spending… There’s not going to be a return to austerity under a Labour government”.

Today’s Guardian reports, Rachel Reeves’ Treasury review “is likely to conclude that existing spending plans are unsustainable and would require substantial cuts to public services”.

The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) criticised the Labour Party during the election for attempting to pull the wool over voters eyes on public spending, with director Paul Johnson warning “Oh dear, oh dear. The old “we may open the books and discover the situation is even worse”. The books are wide open, fully transparent. That really won’t wash”.

In a letter to the Chancellor today, SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn MP said:

Dear Rachel,

Throughout the election, the SNP warned the Labour Party’s plans, and your damaging decision to copy Tory fiscal rules, would mean around £18billion of cuts or tax rises.

Senior Labour Party figures, including yourself, Keir Starmer, Anas Sarwar and Ian Murray repeatedly denied this, claiming it was “ludicrous”, “mince” and accusing the SNP of spreading “misinformation and lies”.

You can imagine my surprise then, to read in the newspapers today, that you now admit the SNP was right and there is a £20 billion black hole in your plans.

At minimum, you should apologise for misleading voters. If Labour’s election campaign was a product in a shop, voters would be due a refund for false advertising.

More importantly, you must now come clean on where the axe will fall under your plans and whether you intend to cut public services, raise taxes or both – having previously denied you would do either.

People in Scotland voted for change and that means an end to fourteen years of Westminster austerity cuts, a meaningful funding boost to our NHS and public services, action to eradicate child poverty and raise living standards – and infrastructure investment to boost economic growth and deliver affordable homes, quality transport links and our green energy future.

Hospitals, schools and affordable homes won’t build themselves – and you can’t cut your way to better services, more nurses, teachers or police officers. Our public services and infrastructure need major investment, having been starved of cash by Westminster for more than a decade.

Will you now give a cast-iron commitment that there will be no cuts to public services, as you promised at the election, and that public services will get the major funding boost they need at the budget in October? Or will you break your promise and allow public services to decline?

The excuses currently being lined-up will set alarm bells ringing that the Labour government plans to continue Tory cuts and public services will be starved of the cash they need – just as we have seen with the failure to scrap the two child benefit cap this week.

The SNP is ready and willing to work in cooperation with the Labour government to deliver the change voters in Scotland were promised – but we also have a duty to stand up for Scotland’s interests and hold the Labour government to account where real change isn’t forthcoming.

I look forward to your response and an unequivocal guarantee that there will be no return to public spending cuts. Our public services cannot afford another five years of Westminster cuts.

Yours for Scotland,
Stephen Flynn MP
SNP Westminster Leader