Kuenssberg: Tories 'uncomfortable' about government spending

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Laura Kuenssberg appeared on BBC Politics Live as Tory MP Neil O’Brien clashed with Labour’s Steve Reed over inflation and the Conservative’s high tax policies. Mr Reed slammed the Tories and said they were unable to stimulate economic growth in the country as the opposing party members began shouting over each other. Host Jo Coburn was forced to intervene and allow Ms Kuenssberg to share her thoughts which slammed the unity of the Tories in light of tax increases which she says is more divisive than the Partygate scandal.

Speaking on BBC Politics Live, Mr Reed and Mr O’Brien clashed over whether the Conservatives could be considered a party of low taxes.

Mr Reed branded the Prime Minister “without dignity and honour” and said the Conservatives have “failed” to produce economic growth in the country.

Mr O’Brien said the Government needed to make “difficult decisions” but was investing in levelling up the NHS through their new taxes and white paper.

Ms Kuenssberg shared her assessment of the Conservative Party and was concerned members were angry at the direction they were going.

She said: “What is absolutely fascinating and really telling about this…

“And with respect to both of you being so passionate and getting hot under the collar about all of this.

“Is that the Conservative Party finds itself in a position of having to defend pushing taxes up and having to defend becoming a Conservative government who will say until they are blue in the face we are low taxes.

“The article that Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson put up at the weekend say we are Thatcherites, we’d love to have everybody paying as little tax as we possibly could.

Boris Johnson savages Keir Starmer over 'Labournomics'

“Except, in reality, for the reasons that [Mr O’Brien] has articulated, they’ve made decisions that have led to them presiding over a government that actually is high spending and high taxing.

“And there are many people in the Conservative Party who feel deeply uncomfortable about that.

“And that is one of the reasons why, coupled with the fact that lots of people at home are starting to feel the pinch and that’s only going one way for many families because of inflation…

“That the Labour Party has, for political reasons, quite obviously clocked on to this and thought, hang on, we can shift this debate onto the economy.

“We can both show that we are empathising with people in the country who find it difficult at the moment to make ends meet and also keep poking away at the Conservatives who are uncomfortable about the economic direction of travel.”

Ms Kuenssberg added there was an “unsettled” mood in the Conservatives regardless of Partygate and Boris Johnson’s ability to lead because of the economic “direction” they were going.

The BBC editor said many Tories were “mulling over” what the future holds.

Mr O’Brien deflected the attack back onto Labour and said “no one is convinced” by Sir Keir Starmer who wants more money to be spent but does not want to raise the cash to do so.

Boris Johnson is coming under pressure to scrap the 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance payments which will come into place in April.

The increase is to pay for the Government’s social care plan and to address the backlogs in treatments across the NHS.

But opposition benches are pressuring the Tories to scrap the increase as inflation and the cost of living is set to skyrocket in the next few weeks.

Levelling up Secretary Michael Gove also laid out his levelling up plan on Wednesday which will introduce improvements to education, broadband and transport.

The plan will take until 2030 and lays out 12 missions for the Government.

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