Budget will look better on Instagram, jibes Starmer as he attacks ‘decade of weakness’

SIR Keir Starmer today said the Government had “no plan” for the future as he tore into the Chancellor’s Budget.

The Labour leader also poked fun at a promotional video Rishi Sunak released before his big announcement, saying his Budget will “look better on Instagram”.

As the Chancellor was unveiling his high stakes plan today, with expected extensions to the furlough scheme and the £20-a-week increase in universal credit, Sir Keir was due to say: “The Tories spent a decade weakening the foundations of our economy. Now they pretend they can rebuild it.

“But the truth is they won’t confront what went wrong in the past, and they have no plan for the future.” Today marks Sir Keir’s first Budget response and comes as he faces pressure from the Labour Left to call for an increase in corporation tax. He has warned that it is not the time for tax rises on families and businesses.

Sir Keir was also set to make a jibe at Mr Sunak as the person “making decisions” in Boris Johnson’s government, adding: “After 11 months in this job, it’s nice finally to be standing opposite the person actually making decisions.

“The trouble is, it’s those decisions that have left us with the mess we find today: the worst economic crisis of any major economy, unemployment at over five per cent, and debt at over £2 trillion. I’m sure this Budget will look better on Instagram, but even the Chancellor’s film crew will struggle to put a positive spin on this. This week’s PR video cost the taxpayer so much, I’m surprised there wasn’t a line for it in the OBR forecast.”

The Treasury released a video which included an interview with the Chancellor and music. Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth commented: “The ego has landed.”