Rachel Reeves has taken aim at Nigel Farage during her Spending Review by suggesting he spends too much time in a Westminster pub. The Chancellor said the Reform leader is often at the Westminster Arms but she joked “perhaps the Two Chairmen would be a better fit”.
That is another favourite among politicians, civil servants and journalists in Whitehall. Ms Reeves unveiled her government’s £600billion budget plans in the Commons during her Spending Review on Wednesday.
She announced total departmental budgets will grow by 2.3% per year in real terms.
Ms Reeves also promised that the Government will end the use of hotels to house asylum seekers by the next election.
She told MPs: “I can confirm today that led by the work of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, we will be ending the costly use of hotels to house asylum seekers in this Parliament.
“Funding that I have provided today, including from the transformation fund, will cut the asylum backlog, hear more appeal cases and return people who have no right to be here, saving the taxpayer £1 billion a year.
“That is my choice, Mr Speaker, that is the Labour choice, that is the choice of the British people.”
The Chancellor also announced a further up to £280 million per year for the Border Security Command by the end of the spending review period, which leads on the UK’s strategy to crack down on people smuggling and small boat crossings.
