Skip to main content

'You are the most annoying man in politics': Phone-in caller shreds



Ed Balls was today branded the 'most annoying man in politics' as he faced mounting questions about Labour plans to increase spending after the next election.

The shadow chancellor came under fire during a radio phone-in dominated by reports that he is planning to reject coalition budget limits from 2015 onwards.


The Tories said the reports were proof Labour is ‘addicted’ to spending public money.

The shadow chancellor was forcefully questioned on LBC 97.3 by a small businessman who accused him of being ‘in denial’ over the Labour government’s failure to tackle the deficit when they were in power.


Sean, from Matfield in Kent, asked Mr Balls why he had ‘racked up a structural deficit of £76billion’ when he was right-hand man to then chancellor Gordon Brown’s in 2006-7. He said Mr Balls had repeatedly denied this in interviews.

He said: ‘You denied it….Your biggest problem is you are the most annoying man in politics. You live in denial. You smear on behalf of Gordon Brown when you did it. You’re a left wing economist with a private education…’

The caller said his party had presided over ‘the biggest deficit in Europe’ and asked Mr Balls why countries such as Australia and Canada had avoided going into recession.


Mr Balls insisted that before the financial crisis hit, Britain’s national debt was lower than other countries such as the US, France, Germany and Italy.

He also claimed the deficit at the time - the gap between between what the Government spends and what it makes from taxes per year - was ‘low’.


But Labour's economic plan risked descending into chaos as Mr Balls insisted no decisions had yet been taken on spending limits for after the election. It was ‘impossible’ to predict exactly what his plans will be in two years’ time, he said.

Scroll down for video



Spending spree: Ed Miliband (left) and shadow chancellor Ed Balls could promise to outspend the Tories at the 2015 election under a plan to set out a new 'economic settlement' for Britain

Senior figures in the party say there is a growing consensus in favour of taking longer to cut the deficit than the coalition, to redirect money into investment in major projects and housebuilding.

The emergence of the high risk idea, which could see Labour portrayed as having failed to learn the lessons of the financial crash on their watch, threatened to overshadow a speech by leader Ed Miliband today.

He will promise detailed policies ‘to rebuild and invest in Britain’s economic future’.

The Labour leader wants to present a ‘new economic settlement’ to voters.


More...
One small step for Ed Miliband: Labour leader pontificates from world's most pointless soapbox on campaign trail
'Crisis economy' UK: You're in as bad a state as eurozone, says new Bank chief as IMF urges Osborne to ditch austerity package
'You have prostituted your high office': Labour MP attacks Whitehall mandarins

Under a plan being considered by the party, Labour would not match Tory post-2015 spending plans as it did ahead of the 1997 election under Tony Blair.

David Cameron sought to exploit the row today, as he launched the Conservative local election campaign in Nuneaton.

The Tory leader said: 'If you want good government that costs less – vote Conservative. If you want waste and propaganda – vote Labour.


'Do not let Labour do to your council what they did to our country.'

The Prime Minister said the Conservatives would fight for 'the services on our streets', 'the pound in your pocket' and 'the future of our country'.




David Cameron used a speech at the launch of the Tory party's local election campaign to attack Labour's economic record

Next week the Labour-affiliated Fabian Society will back the idea of promising to spend more than George Osborne.

It will publish a study arguing that if the economy is growing by about 2 per cent annually, public spending could rise by 1 per cent a year and Labour could achieve Mr Osborne’s target of seeing debt falling by 2016-17 two years later – or sooner than 2018-19 if taxes were increased, the Independent reported.

COMIC LEE NELSON TO STAND IN WELL GOOD BY-ELECTION



TV comic Lee Nelson is to stand for Parliament - in the by-election for David Miliband's former seat of South Shields.

The character, created by funnyman Simon Brodkin and who has his own BBC3 series, intends to contest the election on May 2 after handing in his nomination papers this morning.


He will contest the election as Nelson, standing for Lee Nelson's Well Good Party, and read out a speech on the steps of the Town Hall in South Shields.

David Miliband quit the seat for a job running aid charity International Rescue Committee in New York.

He made little attempt to hide the fact that his decision stemmed from the 2010 leadership defeat he suffered at the hands of younger brother Ed.

He said it would be better for him to be ‘3,000 miles from the front bench’.

Andrew Harrop, the Fabian Society’s general secretary, warned that matching the Coalition’s plans ‘will harm the economy, further undermine the welfare state and might not even help Labour’s election chances.’

He added: ‘Labour needs to have a credible alternative on the economy that will include targeted cuts in some areas to shift money to higher priorities.’

A Conservative source said: ‘This is shocking confirmation that Ed Miliband and Ed Balls would take us back to the brink of bankruptcy.

‘They can't kick their addiction to more spending and more borrowing.’

Questioned about the proposal today, Mr Balls did not deny it was likely to form the basis of the party’s election pitch, but insisted he would not announce his spending plans now.

The Tories seized on the reports to claim Labour had been ‘exposed.’

Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps said: ‘Labour don't get it. They have opposed every single step we've taken to cut the deficit and to turn our country around.‬‬ ‪‪

’And now we know for certain that their only plan is more of how they got us into this mess in the first place - more spending, more borrowing and more debt.‬‬ ‪‪

‘Ed Miliband is offering no new ideas and no leadership for Britain's future.’

But Mr Balls insisted it would be ‘totally irresponsible’ to announce his plans for 2015 and beyond now.

He told LBC 97.3: 'We’ve got a spending review in a few weeks’ time from the Chancellor, we don’t know how bad the economy is going to be then.


'We know he is spending much more than he wanted to because he can’t get unemployment down, we don’t know where we will be in two years’ time.'



Mr Miliband, who yesterday used a small wooden pallet to address residents in South Shields, will promise voters a new 'economic settlement'

The idea of going into the next election promising more spending could backfire on Labour, which trails the Tories in polls on who voters would trust with the economy.

In June Mr Osborne will set out the details of a spending review for 2015-16, which begins just weeks before the general election is due.

Mr Miliband will hint at his approach in a speech to the Scottish Labour Party later.

He is expected to say: ‘Building a recovery made by the many needs every person who can to play their part.

‘And, for all the Tories’ rhetoric about welfare reform, the costs of economic failure are just going up and up.

‘We are the only party in British politics saying let’s get long term unemployed people back to work: proper rights to work with a real responsibility to do so.

‘But this party under my leadership will never seek to divide our country and say to young person aged nineteen in Inverness desperately looking for work, to the older worker Ipswich laid off because of economic failure, that they are somehow a scrounger or a skiver. We will succeed by uniting our country, not dividing it.’

Popular posts from this blog

Study Abroad USA, College of Charleston, Popular Courses, Alumni

Thinking for Study Abroad USA. School of Charleston, the wonderful grounds is situated in the actual middle of a verifiable city - Charleston. Get snatched up by the wonderful and customary engineering, beautiful pathways, or look at the advanced steel and glass building which houses the School of Business. The grounds additionally gives students simple admittance to a few major tech organizations like Amazon's CreateSpace, Google, TwitPic, and so on. The school offers students nearby as well as off-grounds convenience going from completely outfitted home lobbies to memorable homes. It is prepared to offer different types of assistance and facilities like clubs, associations, sporting exercises, support administrations, etc. To put it plainly, the school grounds is rising with energy and there will never be a dull second for students at the College of Charleston. Concentrate on Abroad USA is improving and remunerating for your future. The energetic grounds likewise houses various

Best MBA Online Colleges in the USA

“Opportunities never open, instead we create them for us”. Beginning with this amazing saying, let’s unbox today’s knowledge. Love Business and marketing? Want to make a high-paid career in business administration? Well, if yes, then mate, we have got you something amazing to do!   We all imagine an effortless future with a cozy house and a laptop. Well, well! You can make this happen. Today, with this guide, we will be exploring some of the top-notch online MBA universities and institutes in the USA. Let’s get started! Why learn Online MBA from the USA? Access to More Options This online era has given a second chance to children who want to reflect on their careers while managing their hectic schedules. In this, the internet has played a very crucial in rejuvenating schools, institutes, and colleges to give the best education to students across the globe. Graduating with Less Debt Regular classes from high reputed institutes often charge heavy tuition fees. However onl

Sickening moment maskless 'Karen' COUGHS in the face of grocery store customer, then claims she doesn't have to wear a mask because she 'isn't sick'

A woman was captured on camera following a customer through a supermarket as she coughs on her after claiming she does not need a mask because she is not sick.  Video of the incident, which has garnered hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter alone, allegedly took place in a Su per Saver in Lincoln, Nebraska according to Twitter user @davenewworld_2. In it, an unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of the customer recording her. Scroll down for video An unidentified woman was captured dramatically coughing as she smiles saying 'Excuse me! I'm coming through' in the direction of a woman recording her A woman was captured on camera following a customer as she coughs on her in a supermarket without a mask on claiming she does not need one because she is not sick @chaiteabugz #karen #covid #karens #karensgonewild #karensalert #masks we were just wearing a mask at the store. ¿ o