Shadow cabinet talk with Whitehall officials after Keir Starmer meets head of civil service
All members of Keir Starmer’s shadow cabinet are to meet top civil servants in Whitehall departments before Easter as Labour steps up preparations to form the next government, according to senior party sources.
The source said: “We want all shadow cabinet members to meet permanent secretaries in the relevant departments before Easter. With an election coming, maybe as early as May, we need to get a move on.” Access talks are a vital part of pre-election planning to ensure a smooth transition, in the event that the opposition forms the next government.
Labour says abolishing national insurance would cost £46bn a year, equivalent to £230bn over the course of a five-year parliament. If the Tories went ahead, they claim, it could have the same effect as the Liz Truss mini-budget in 2022, which led to soaring interest and mortgage rates. Another member of Starmer’s shadow cabinet said Hunt’s suggestion about getting rid of national insurance would allow Labour to counter the traditional Tory attacks. “We can smash all their arguments to pieces and turn them on their head. They have just offered up £46bn of unfunded tax cuts.”Opinium’s post-budget polling found Labour had a commanding lead on issues of economic competence – which have traditionally been strong suits for the Conservatives.