'Real Brass Neck': Top Tory Slammed For Saying British People Need A Better 'Work Ethic'

Chris Philp said the UK needs "to up our game" to compete with other countries.
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Chris Philp appearing on the Political Thinking podcast.
Chris Philp appearing on the Political Thinking podcast.
BBC

A senior Tory has been slammed for saying British people need a better “work ethic”.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said “as a country we need to lift our game” to compete with the likes of China and India.

His comments were immediately slammed by Labour, who accused him of having “a real brass neck” after the last Tory government left the economy in a mess.

Appearing on the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast, Philp was asked by Nick Robinson: “Do you think that belief in hard work is something that’s missing in Britain today?”

Philp replied: “I do a bit. There are nine million working age adults who are not working, and as we compete globally with countries like South Korea, China, India.

“We need a work ethic, we need everybody to be making a contribution. We are in a global race and that means we’ve got to be competitive and it means we’ve got to work hard. And I think as a country we need to lift our game, we need to up our game.”

Here's Chris Philp(Tory MP) telling the country that we need a better work ethic.

Nick Robinson: Do you think that belief in hard work is something that's missing in Britain today?

Chris Philp: "I do a bit... we need a work ethic... as a country we need to up our game." pic.twitter.com/tnbMMcFGwW

— Haggis_UK 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 (@Haggis_UK) January 31, 2025

Responding to his comments, a Labour spokesperson said: “Chris Philp was the architect of the Liz Truss mini-budget which crashed the economy and sent family mortgages rocketing.

“After the Conservatives’ economic failure left working people worse off, it takes some real brass neck for the Tory top team to tell the public that it’s really all their fault.

“It’s the same old Tories. They haven’t changed and they’ve learned nothing.”

Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: “No-one can doubt Chris Philp’s work ethic after he crashed the economy in just 39 days as Treasury minister under Liz Truss.

“The British public will no doubt take his advice with a bucketload of salt. The Conservatives could do with showing a bit more humility after trashing the economy and leaving the NHS on its knees.”

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