A Conservative minister has been accused of having a “brass neck” after attempting to criticise Labour’s economic record in government just months after his party “crashed the economy”.
On BBC Question Time, Jeremy Quin, the paymaster general, clashed with Labour shadow health secretary Wes Streeting over the NHS amid the bitter dispute with striking junior doctors over pay.
The Tory MP challenged Labour’s ability to manage public finances and tackle the NHS pay issue, claiming the party’s numbers didn’t “add up”.
He aded: “I’d just remind you of the state you left the economy in 2010, the state you left public finances ...”
But Streeting won applause from the audience when he responded: “The brass neck Jeremy, after you crashed the economy and sent people’s mortgages through the roof, and left us in this mess with rocketing inflation.”
The 49 day premiership of Liz Truss saw her mini-budget measures – a series of unfunded tax cuts – helped tank the pound and push up mortgage rates.
While economic concerns have eased since she was replaced by Rishi Sunak, inflation remains stubbornly above 10% despite hopes of a rapid fall.