Rachel Reeves has said she’s “never been so optimistic” about Britain’s future ahead of her speech to Labour conference on Monday.
Reeves will deliver her speech in the shadow of the row over donations accepted by the prime minister and a number of cabinet ministers — and against the backdrop of hostile briefings about prime minister Keir Starmer‘s chief of staff, Sue Gray.
Earlier this week Starmer said he would no longer accept donations to pay for clothes, and neither would Reeves or deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.
The government has also come under fire for projecting an image of “doom and gloom” amid warnings of a “painful” budget, which Reeves will unveil on 30th October.
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Seeking to counter the criticism that Labour is talking down Britain, Reeves projected a hopeful vision on Monday morning of what the UK can achieve in the coming years.
Referring to plans to boost investment, Reeves told Sky News: “If we can get this right, then there is no end to what we can achieve as a country.
“That’s what I’m determined to do — to unlock the real potential we have through stability, through reform and then crucially through investment which is a solution to low growth that has bedevilled our economy this last decade or so.”
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She went on to say that there is a “global race on” for the jobs that could come as a result of investment.
“There’s a global race on for these jobs, but if we can make the changes, which I’m determined to bring about, I know we can get that investment to Britain, increased living standards and more money in people’s pockets”, the chancellor said.
“A vibrant communities, a stronger high streets and Britain the best place to start and grow a business. That’s my ambition.”
Speaking to Labour activists later on Monday, Reeves will promise that her first budget will “rebuild Britain” and deliver the change people voted for at the election which awarded Labour its first election victory since 2005.
The chancellor is expected to say: “There will be no return to austerity. Conservative austerity was a destructive choice for our public services — and for investment and growth too.
“We must deal with the Tory legacy and that means tough decisions. But we won’t let that dim our ambition for Britain.
“So it will be a budget with real ambition. A budget to fix the foundations. A budget to deliver the change we promised. A budget to rebuild Britain.”
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