Spring Statement: Rachel Reeves missed HUGE opportunity to change Britain’s fortunes, says Daisy Cooper
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been warned of a “missed opportunity” in her Spring Statement by the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, following the fiscal announcement on Wednesday.
Reeves laid out her economic plan in the House of Commons, but sparked swathes of criticism for her cuts to welfare benefits – amounting to almost £5billion.
Confirming the cuts, Reeves told MPs: “The Labour Party is the party of work. We believe that if you can work, you should work. But if you can’t work, you should be properly supported.”
Speaking to GB News, Daisy Cooper hit out at Reeves for targeting the vulnerable in society whilst looking to award “tax cuts” to the “billionaires” such a Elon Musk.
Daisy Cooper has stressed Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s ‘missed opportunity’ in her Spring Statement
PA / GB News
Rachel Reeves delivered her Spring Statement to the House of Commons on WednesdayParliament TV
Cooper told GB News: “We Liberal Democrats have said for a long time that there are big corporations that are making billions of pounds in profits, and it’s those corporations that the Government should be going after. So we think they should reverse the tax cuts that the Conservatives gave to the big banks.
“We think they should be increasing taxes on the big tech companies and the big online gambling companies as well. They could be reforming capital gains tax to bring it down for most people, but to put it up for the 0.1 per cent richest people.”
She added: “There are a number of ways in which the Government could be raising revenue in a fairer way, without damaging jobs tax, or putting further taxes on struggling families.”
When pressed on how Labour can help boost growth in the economy, Cooper highlighted Britain’s need for trade deals both in Europe and the US, amid looming tariffs from US President Donald Trump.
Cooper told GB News that Labour should focus on ‘taxing billionaires’ instead of cutting benefits for the vulnerable
GB News
Cooper explained: “We do need to get growth back into our economy, and the easiest, best, fastest way of doing that is to have a better trading relationship with our closest trading partners in Europe.
“And so we do want to see the Government talking about renegotiating that trade deal, getting rid of the red tape, the two billion pieces of paperwork that have had to be filled in by businesses since Brexit.
“The Government could be renegotiating that right now and developing a bespoke customs union that works for British businesses, and get that in place by 2030 at the latest.”
The Chancellors welfare cuts are expected to affect more than three million families across Britain.
