If anyone is gaslighting us over the economy, it’s Rachel Reeves… but it’s a smart move
Rachel Reeves wants to make people doubt good economic news when they hear it in the next few months. In that sense, she is more guilty of “gaslighting” the British public than the government is, as she alleged in her speech today.
But it will work, because the British people are feeling the pinch, and are unwilling to give Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt the benefit of the doubt if there are signs of a slight easing in the cost-of-living crisis.
Reeves is a highly political shadow chancellor who has learned from Gordon Brown. His genius was to offer stability and reassurance while drawing dividing lines between New Labour and a Conservative Party that was extreme, incompetent and out of touch.