The political storm surrounding the UK budget has deepened as SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn said it is no longer credible for Rachel Reeves to remain in post following widespread anger, collapsing public trust and accusations that she misled voters, the media, Parliament and even her own Cabinet colleagues.
The pressure intensified after a bruising media conference for Prime Minister Keir Starmer who was repeatedly forced to defend both himself and the Chancellor amid claims of deception over the scale of the financial black hole and the true nature of the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts.
It followed an article from BBC Political Editor Chris Mason in which he wrote bluntly that “we were misled”, a line that has resonated across Westminster and added weight to concerns long voiced by critics of the budget.
Reports have since emerged that senior Cabinet ministers also felt misinformed, with The Times quoting one minister who said:
“At no point were the cabinet told about the reality of the OBR forecasts.
“Had we been told, we might have been in a position to advise against setting hares running on income tax and giving the public the impression we are casual about our manifesto commitments.
“The handling of this budget has been a disaster from start to finish.”
Another minister was quoted describing Starmer and Reeves as “weak and incompetent”, adding that the chaos was “par for the course” following the budget’s fallout.
Public reaction has been similarly stark.
A new YouGov poll found 48% of people view the Labour government’s budget as unfair compared to just 21% who believe it is fair, making it the second worst rated budget in YouGov’s history after the Liz Truss mini budget.
Half of respondents said the budget will leave their family worse off while only 3% expect to be better off.
Seventy nine percent believe the economy is in a bad state and only 3% think it is in a good one, while three quarters of people think the government is doing a bad job managing the economy.
Two thirds of respondents think the economy will get worse over the next year, and more than half expect their own household finances to deteriorate.
A separate poll published in November found both Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves have reached their lowest ever favourability ratings, with Starmer sitting at minus 54 and Reeves at minus 57, placing them among the least popular Prime Minister and Chancellor in decades.
Commenting, Stephen Flynn MP said:
“It’s just not credible for Rachel Reeves to remain in post as Chancellor having misled voters, the media, Parliament and even her own Cabinet colleagues, over her damaging budget.
“Rachel Reeves has lost the trust of voters with all the lies and broken promises and her record as Chancellor is abysmal.
“Under the Labour Party, the cost of living has soared, living standards are falling, UK unemployment has risen to a four year high, economic growth has been slashed and the public finances have deteriorated.
“That is an appalling record of failure.
“Voters were promised change but Starmer and Reeves have delivered complete chaos.
“The UK has got worse not better, promises have been repeatedly broken and discarded, and the lies and false claims have eroded trust in the Labour government.”
“If Reeves remains, no one will ever know whether they can believe a word the UK Chancellor is saying, and public trust in the Labour Party will remain at rock bottom.
“That isn’t sustainable.
“She should do the decent thing, take responsibility and go before she’s forced out.”
