Expect more economic pain to cut costs, says McFadden as Starmer blames the Tories

A senior cabinet minister has warned of more economic pain to come as the government prepares to restrict public spending in ways MPs and campaigners say could exacerbate the cost of living crisis.

- Kiran Stacey

Pat McFadden, the Cabinet Office minister, said yesterday that voters should expect the government to take further difficult decisions, as Keir Starmer prepares to give a speech accusing the Conservatives of leaving the country in "rubble and ruin".

Ministers are already under fire for their decision to end winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, with Labour MPs warning the decision could lead to a "cruel winter" for vulnerable people. The prime minister is also under pressure to end the two-child benefit cap and extend the £1bn household support fund, which is due to end in September.

McFadden suggested that Starmer and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, were unlikely to reverse those decisions. "I understand there are people who are concerned about tough decisions, but it won't be the last tough decision that we have to make in government," he told Sky News.

"It is about making tough decisions, because we saw what happened a few years ago when the public finances were lost control of. We don't want a repeat of that, and these are the difficult decisions that a chancellor has to make now."