Cabinet ministers rebelling against spending cuts being forced on them by Rachel Reeves have been warned they will look “weak” if they fail to win more cash for their departments.
Angela Rayner, Louise Haigh and Shabana Mahmood have all written to Keir Starmer to complain about savings they are expected to find ahead of the Budget on October 30.
The chancellor has asked for cuts of up to 20% in some departmental budgets as she seeks to plug the £22 billion black hole Labour says it was left by the last Conservative government.
Downing Street hit back yesterday, saying government departments will have to be “more productive” with the resources they currently have.
Now a senior government source has told HuffPost UK that the appeal to the PM could “backfire” on the unhappy ministers.
The source said: “There’s no problem with people lobbying for money - it’s their job to do that.
“But if they are too public about it, it will backfire on them because if they don’t get more money they will look weak.”
HuffPost UK also revealed yesterday how other cabinet ministers were unhappy with their colleagues.
One said: “They’re defending the severe Tory legacy.
“There’s not only no money, but we start with minus £22 billion. Overcoming that challenge is not easy.”
Reeves is aiming to raise £40 billion in the Budget through a combination of tax rises and spending cuts.