BRITAIN CONNED! MASSIVE TAX RAID ON WAY

CLAIMS by Rachel Reeves of a £20billion black hole in Britain's finances have been declared a con aimed at justifying big tax rises.

- Sam Lister

The new Chancellor is to set out on Monday what Sir Keir Starmer's party calls the "true scale of the damage" it found, alleging there is a big gap in how much is required to meet Labour's pledges.

But her Tory predecessor Jeremy Hunt has warned that instead of taking tough decisions she is laying the groundwork for hiking up taxes.

He declared: "Labour's claims are nothing but a fabrication - the books have been wide open since the [Office for Budget Responsibility] was set up 14 years ago.

"They show an economy that has turned the corner and a deficit onethird of that left behind by Labour - and not this nonsense the Chancellor is peddling.

"The reality is she does not want to take the difficult decisions on pay, productivity or welfare reform that would have meant we could live within our means and is laying the ground for tax rises.

"After Labour promised 50 times not to do this, they will find trust in the new government evaporates sooner than they expect."

Laura Trott, shadow Treasury minister, claimed the pledges by Labour during the election campaign would be abandoned. She said: "This is nothing but a con designed to mask Labour's broken promises on tax rises."

Tory leadership contender James Cleverly said it was the "least surprising news ever" as Institute for Fiscal Studies researchers stated public finances were an open book.

In an online video clip he said: "Rachel Reeves, we now discover, is preparing to raise taxes at the next Budget.