Chancellor Rachel Reeves has faced a harsh grilling from GB News’ Political Editor Christopher Hope as he asked “you do care about our viewers don’t you?”
The exchange comes after Reeves snubbed a breakfast show appearance on the channel, and only took part in an interview 24 hours later.
Speaking to Reeves on the channel, Hope said: “Of course, you’re coming to viewers 24 hours after the Budget.
“You couldn’t meet us or talk to us on the breakfast show today. Some disappointment. You do care about our viewers, don’t you? “
Rachel Reeves spoke to GB News today
GB News
She responded: “Yes. And we’ve done these interviews on many occasions since I’ve become Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I look forward to many more.”
The interview comes after the Chancellor announced a huge tax hike in yesterday’s Budget, stating that the aim is to raise £40billion.
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A key measure is the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions, set to rise by 1.2 percentage points to 15 per cent from April 2025.
This change is expected to generate £25billion annually for the Government.
Questioning Reeves on this, Hope asked: “Your manifesto says you won’t increase taxes on working people, and that’s why you’re not going to increase National insurance.
“You just hiked it by up to £25billion. How can voters trust you?”
Christopher Hope blasted the Chancellor for snubbing the breakfast show
GB News
She responded: “We were clear in our manifesto that the key taxes that working people pay, income tax and national Insurance and VAT, we wouldn’t increase.
“We haven’t increased National Insurance tax on working people, but we have National Insurance tax on businesses.
“I do recognise that that will have an impact on people right across the economy.
“We faced a situation where there was a big black hole in the public finances and I made a commitment.
Rachel Reeves delivered her Budget yesterday PA
“The number one commitment was to bring stability back after the chaos and the instability we’ve experienced the last few years, and that meant having to increase taxes to fill that black hole, to put our public finances back on a firm footing.
“It’s so important to do that. Otherwise, you have what we’ve had in the last few years, which is volatility in financial markets and playing fast and loose with the public finances.
“It is, in the end, working people who pay the price for that.”