EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US WILL BE PAYING A REEVES PENALTY

Tory leader says Chancellor planning to tax 'anything she can lay her hands on'

- By Jonathan Walker Whitehall Editor

RACHEL Reeves will tax “anything she can lay her hands on”, Kemi Badenoch warned.

The Tory leader has accused the Chancellor of driving Britain to bankruptcy and racking up debts that will last for decades, adding: “Every single one of us will be paying a Reeves penalty this winter.”

She said Ms Reeves’ Budget planning had “a multi-billion-pound black hole" and claimed the Chancellor and Sir Keir Starmer were trying to balance the books with job-destroying taxes that will hurt growth.

Mrs Badenoch accused Labour of being unwilling to stop "spending more than we earn" on benefits and huge pay rises for trade unions.

As experts sounded further dire warnings about the economy, the MP for North West Essex said of Ms Reeves: "So what's her plan? She's going to tax us more. I'm a former Treasury minister, I know how it works. She'll be desperately making plans for anything she can lay her hands on. She will be looking at hiking taxes on our homes, wages and pensions. Every single one of us will be paying a Reeves penalty this winter. Everything this Government is doing is making life more expensive for all of us." In a speech in London, Mrs Badenoch also took a swipe at Nigel Farage and his Reform UK, calling it a "Left-wing party" which wants to increase welfare spending.

She said the Tories stand ready to "clean up an economic mess", as they did after ex-Labour PM Gordon Brown let borrowing soar.