‘22bn black hole’

It’s strange because the initial narrative was that Labour created the ‘black hole’ in the first week or so of power, due to agreeing spending (such as public sector pay rises) and Miliband’s rather poorly informed energy decisions etc. It literally all added up to 22bn. Now apparently it’s the Conservatives’ fault? Which doesn’t make any sense at all because Labour had open access to the ‘books!’

I'm afraid it's another case that shows the inexperience of this government, the communication and timing has been so inept It makes Liz Truss look good.

I dread to think what they have in mind for October.

I guess this report outlines where there has been sustained under budgeting.

"n recent years, the Home Office has repeatedly spent far more than it had budgeted for asylum, border, visa and passport operations...

The Home Office has got into the bad habit of each year submitting Main Estimates to parliament that it knew would be insufficient, relying on a top-up from the Treasury Reserve later in the year."

ifs.org.uk/articles/home-office-budgeting-and-asylum-overspends

I was about to tell you not to be so ridiculous with your conspiracy theories, and then I remembered that as a former civil servant, the things I take for granted are not things that everyone else believes or knows to be factual. But now Labour have come right out and said it.

So, yes there is a massive hole, the Treasury is very very worried about it and has been for LITERALLY YEARS, a significant amount of it is due to supporting an ageing population and just because you didn't know about it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. There you go.

Thousands of civil servants who have no particular political axe to grind are working on projects to try and rescue the country from this cliff edge, I was one of them about 6-7 years ago.

Agreed!
I think it's crazy they keep repeating this without evidence and people are lapping it up!

We have to remember there is no way (rightly or wrongly) the torys would have agreed to the junior doctors and public sector pay rises. The cost being 10bn. So that is money the labour govt would have needed to find!