03 February 2023 , 17:08
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Rishi Sunak cannot hold a general election because he knows he would lose, Rachel Reeves has said.
The Shadow Chancellor warned the “weak” PM is “holding us back as a country”, as she argued the Tories are “out of time and out of ideas”.
In an outspoken interview with the Mirror, she suggested Mr Sunak is either “incurious or stupid” for failing to get to the bottom of the sleaze scandals involving his ministers.
And she demanded the Chancellor freeze fuel duty in next month’s Budget so working people are not “clobbered” with not another Tory tax rise.
Ms Reeves said Mr Sunak’s decision to not sack Deputy PM Dominic Raab despite the mounting list of bullying allegations against him “shows how weak he is”.
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“He doesn't have a real say over who he wants in his team because he's too weak in his own party,” she told the Mirror as she made a visit to the high street in East Finchley, north London.
Rachel Reeves says Rishi Sunak is 'holding us back as a country' (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)“This is a guy who fought the leadership against Liz Truss and lost and Liz Truss in turn lost to a lettuce. He's not a winner this guy.
“He can't hold an election because he knows he would lose that as well. He's a weak leader. And he can't get rid of these people.”
Ms Reeves mocked Mr Sunak’s claim he was unaware Nadhim Zahawi was in trouble over his taxes until after he appointed him as Conservative Party chairman.
“The idea that the Prime Minister is the only person in the world who didn't know that he was being investigated for tax dodging... He is either incurious or stupid,” she said.
The Shadow Chancellor warned that the constant sleaze scandals are distracting the government from getting on with rebuilding the economy.
“The Prime Minister at the moment, is having to deal with crisis after crisis because he's too weak to take decisive action,” she said.
“As a result, the attention that needs to be focused on how to stabilise and how to grow our economy, there’s no space for it. His weakness is now holding us back as a country.”
Ahead of the Budget, Ms Reeves is calling for Jeremy Hunt to drop a 12p per litre rise in fuel duty that is pencilled in for next month.
Rishi Sunak is 'not a winner', according to Labour's Shadow Chancellor says (Getty Images)
Rachel Reeves visiting East Finchley with local Labour candidate Sarah Sackman (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)“Most people rely on their car to get to work, to get to appointments, etc,” she said. “At the moment, in the government's plans is the biggest ever increase in fuel duty.
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“We've got inflation at 10.5%, close to the highest it's been in 40 years. When you've got the weekly food shop going up, gas and electricity bills going up again in April, the mortgage payments and the rent going up.
“The idea that what we need right now is a big increase in fuel duty, it will just make matters much, much worse, particularly for working people.”
A poll for the Mirror yesterday revealed more than half of voters want a general election now
And more than 149,000 people have now signed the Mirror's petition on the 38 Degrees website calling for one.
But Mr Sunak has ruled out a snap poll.
“We have had 13 years now,” Ms Reeves said. “The question people are going to be asking at the next election is are my family and I better off than we were 13 years ago?
“Are our schools and our hospitals in a better state than they were 13 years ago?
“Frankly, is there anything in Britain that is working better today than when the Conservatives came to government? The answer to those questions is no.”
She added: “I think people know that this government is out of time and out of ideas. I can understand why he doesn't want the election, but I think the country does.”
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