Chancellor Rachel Reeves accused of cooking up desperate war on waste to cover up Budget blunders fallout
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THE Chancellor has been accused of cooking up a desperate war on waste to cover up her Budget blunders fallout. Rachel Reeves will lead a drive to tackle waste and inefficiency across the public sector. But the Tories blasted the move as a political stunt to mask spiralling debt and a series of economic own goals.
![[Rachel Reeves at the China-UK Financial Services Summit.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/GETTY_11th-China-UK-Economic-And-Financial-Dialogue-4th-China-UK-Financial-Services-Summit_NEW_GYI.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Adding to the pressure, a Deloitte survey showed business confidence among top finance chiefs has slumped to a two-year low. Firms are slashing spending and freezing hiring in response to Labour’s national insurance raid. The study found 64 per cent of CFOs expect recruitment to shrink, with cost-cutting their top priority.
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith told The Sun: “The war on waste is a desperate stunt. “While the Chancellor’s been clocking up her air miles, it’s not just the weather that is giving Britain the chills. “Businesses, pensioners and families are all having a bleak time as a result of her Budget.
“If Rachel Reeves was remotely serious about a war on waste, she certainly wouldn’t have to go far. “Ed Miliband’s madcap energy spending, David Lammy paying billions to give away Chagos, or Angela Rayner encouraging civil servants to work from home.”.
It comes after a bad week for Ms Reeves as high borrowing costs wiped out a chunk of her £40billion tax rises. In a bid to regain control, Treasury chief secretary Darren Jones insisted the war on waste was necessary to repair years of mismanagement.
