Rachel Reeves is getting better and better as Shadow Chancellor. Mind you, her response to Jeremy Hunt’s Autumn Statement was the second one she’s had to produce in two months, given it was only in September that she was reacting to Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget. There was plenty to criticise and plenty of political attacks to launch. And she offered it all with a mix of cold fury and jokes.
Reeves framed her assessment of Hunt’s economic announcements using the famous Ronald Reagan question of whether people felt better off as a result of the government. She said voters would be asking: ‘Are me and my family better off with a Conservative government? – and the answer is “no”.’ Later, she channelled Sting and The Police when she changed the lyrics of ‘Every Breath You Take’ to ‘The Conservatives are costing you’.
She also likened the government to ‘pickpockets’ and the later series of Dallas, with ‘old cast members returning as if nothing has happened to keep the audience, but the truth is it has lost all credibility and everyone knows it is long past time that the series is cancelled.’
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