Starmer’s Budget retorts were bland

Keir Starmer really padded out his Budget response speech with pre-prepared lines today, to the extent that it was not quite clear what the Labour attack actually is. It’s always the case that replying to the chancellor the moment he finishes speaking is difficult. Occasionally opposition leaders are able to tease out a clear response to the chancellor; most years the response sounds more like general complaints about what the government has been up to. Today’s speech was very much in the latter category.

Starmer had some jokes, including a very predictable one about Rishi Sunak’s swimming pool, and another out-of-date one about salad shortages: ‘After today, we know the Tory cupboard is as bare as the salad aisle in our supermarkets. The lettuces may be out, but the turnips are in.’