Keir Starmer has paved the way for a fresh round of public spending cuts as more grim economic news blew a hole in Rachel Reeves’ budget.
The prime minister said the government would be “ruthless” as it seeks to balance the books avoid more tax rises.
It came as the cost of long-term government borrowing hit a 27-year high on Monday morning, piling further pressure on the public purse.
At a press conference in London, Starmer repeatedly dodged questions about whether chancellor Reeves will be forced to impose more cuts on Whitehall departments.
But the PM said the government will stick to its “fiscal rules”, which rule out borrowing for day-to-day spending and bring down debt.
He said: “We set out those fiscal rules very early on in the day because we knew that the missing ingredient in recent years has been economic stability.
“We’re determined to bring about that economic stability, and that’s why the fiscal rules are absolutely central to what we do.”
Asked again whether spending cuts are on the cards, Starmer said: “We will be ruthless, as we have been ruthless in the decisions that we’ve taken so far.
“We have got clear fiscal rules, and we are going to keep to those fiscal rules, and that’s why the chancellor was absolutely right in the words that she chose to describe the approach that we will take.
Meanwhile, Starmer also insisted Reeves has his full confidence as criticism mounts of her performance as chancellor.
He said: “Rachel Reeves is doing a fantastic job she has my full confidence and has the full confidence of the entire party.”
However, the PM dodged questions about whether Reeves would still be chancellor come the next general election.