Jakarta, EDITOR.ID,- The new British government said that the country was “bankrupt and broken”. The left-leaning cabinet said this situation was due to decisions taken by its predecessors in the Conservative Party.
In a comprehensive assessment three weeks after taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office admitted that they were surprised by the situation they inherited after 14 years of Conservative Party rule.
The criticism came a day before Finance Minister Rachel Reeves was expected to outline a 20 billion pound public finance shortfall in her speech in the House of Commons.
“We will not be shy about being honest with the public about the reality we have inherited,” Pat McFadden, a senior member of the new Cabinet, said in a statement Sunday, as quoted by the Associated Press.
“We will urgently deliver on the promises that the British people owe us and we will do whatever it takes to fix Britain,” he added.
The new government also released a summary of the spending assessment commissioned by Reeves shortly after taking office on Sunday. He will present his full report to Parliament on Monday.
The findings prompted the new government to accuse the Conservatives of making significant funding commitments for this financial year “without knowing where the money will come from.”
They argued that the military had been “drafted” at a time of heightened global threat and that the National Health Service was “broken,” with some 7.6 million people waiting for treatment.
Despite billions spent to house migrants and combat criminal gangs ferrying migrants across the English Channel in rubber boats, the number of people crossing is still rising, according to Starmer’s office.
Some 15,832 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year, 9% more than in the same period in 2023.
“The assessment will show that Britain is bankrupt and broken – exposing the mess that populist politics has made of the economy and public services,” Downing Street said in a statement.
Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide victory in the general election earlier this month. Labour won on a campaign promise not to raise taxes on workers.
Labour leader Keir Starmer is now leading Britain, replacing Rishi Sunak as the new Prime Minister (PM). After Keir won the 2024 UK General Election. Labour defeated Sunak’s Conservative Party.
On Friday (5/7/2024), the elected British Prime Minister Keir Starmer promised to start a new era in Britain.
“Today we begin a new chapter, beginning the work of change, the mission of national renewal, and beginning to rebuild our country,” Starmer said in his victory speech in London, England, Friday (5/7/2024).
