Mr McDonnell, who had the Labour whip withdrawn last year after voting to scrap the two child benefit cap, said Ms Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer had been wrong to “tie Labour’s hands” by ruling out tax rises before they got elected.
Embattled Chancellor Rachel Reeves has been given a stern warning by ex Labour Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell not to impose big welfare cuts to head off the economic crisis.
Leading Left wing MP Mr McDonnell said such a move would be ”politically suicidal” and would result in a backlash from hard-up voters and trigger a recession, he said.
Asked if he was concerned by Sir Keir’s vow to be “ruthless” in taking the necessary action to deal with the current situation, Mr McDonnell said: ‘If ruthless means we are going to have a round of cuts on welfare I am certainly worried.
Reeves will be committing ‘political suicide’ if she orders spending cuts, warns John McDonnell Ex-shadow chancellor calls for wealth tax to tackle economic crisis.
