In accordance with my long stated policy of making this blog mainly about current government policy and what to do next I have not been discussing the Labour government’s great recession and banking crash of 2007-10 for many years. We talked about it at the time. I explained how Brown and Darling could have avoided the worst of the banking squeeze that undermined the banks. I with the Opposition and others had warned of the excessive credit and money causing inflation in the long run up to the crisis. I blamed them for keeping money and credit too loose on the way up and making it too tight on the way down along with their chums at the Bank of England.
They put us on a merciless big dipper, said it was caused by the rest of the world, trashed their reputation for economic competence and duly lost the election. As always the public blamed the incumbents not worldwide trends and in this case were clearly right to do so.
Labour lived under the shadow of their disaster for many years. They won in 2024 not because they had rebuilt trust with millions of voters they had lost but because the Conservative vote collapsed out of anger about what the Conservative government had done and not done, with mass abstentions and votes for parties that could not win that election carrying Labour into office.
In eighteen months Labour have halved their small support levels of the 2024 election and lost more of their rating for economic competence. They have so far put inflation, unemployment, illegal migration, taxes, borrowing, energy prices and closures of business up, and failed to deliver much by way of better public service for all the extra money spent on wage rises and more public sector staff.
Into this mess Gordon Brown decides to go on the media, possibly with the agreement of Keir Starmer, to demand changes with the way things are done to tackle the abuses he allowed or helped create in markets, banking and the economy 18 years ago. Bring it on! He has just made Labour’s worst days 18 years ago relevant to their worst days so far under this government, with the help of his new enemy Mr Mandelson who he brought back into the Cabinet and recommended for a peerage.
Gordon Brown has now made allegations about what Mandelson did, but these are all matters subject to a police investigation to see what evidence there is. Today Mr Mandelson is not guilty of breaking any law and faces no charges. Gordon Brown implies there are issues other than or as well as possible misconduct in public office that need looking into. Time will tell if there is anything that can be proven.
Gordon Brown pleads guilty himself to the same gross error Keir Starmer admits he made of welcoming Mandelson into the heart of government and believing him. Starmer and Brown are joined together in claiming Mandelson was a liar to both of them, and claiming that he both let the Brown government down and now the Starmer government. This is a far more serious crisis because a PM and a former PM both say they put a liar at the heart of government and both say he did damage. In Gordon Brown’s case he says he did not know at the time what damage Mandelson was doing and in Starmer’s case the damage is visible and tearing his government apart.Only they know what Mandelson did say to them, and will need to produce documents to prove their charge of lies.
2007-10 was a disaster for the UK economy, banks and markets. It took years of patient and difficult work to rebuild the strength of the banks and to get public spending and borrowing under some control. Labour MPs need to read the runes of 2007-10 and recognise if they make the wrong decisions about who to lead them and what action they take to improve the economy they could revisit some of the darkest economic and market days of their previous government. Mr Mandelson’s tenure as Ambassador to the US has ended by doing damage to the important US relationship.
Gordon Brown’s list of things to do to try to purge the two crises will not give us growth and lower prices. It seems more designed to make Mandelson take the blame for all failures rather than sort out today’s difficulties of policy. They do need a fair enquiry into Mandelson’s actions then and now. More than that they need new immigration and economic policies that work and are in line with public demands. Attacking workers, savers and strivers and giving away power money and islands to foreign interests is angering many more people. Smash the gangs? Give us the fastest growth? Keep taxes down ? When do they do any of these things?
February 8, 2026
“Attacking workers, savers and strivers and giving away power money and islands to foreign interests is angering many more people. ”
Socialists always do these things – except to empployees in the state sector
“Smash the gangs? Give us the fastest growth? Keep taxes down ? When do they do any of these things?”
Socialists never do these things.
February 8, 2026
When will they do any of these things you ask. The answer is never
Both Brown and Starmer are in hock to the WEF and are rapidly back peddling to cover their mistakes. What they did was deliberate to undermine the country including Brown giving away our gold reserves and Starmer our fish.
Together with enemy number one Milibrain their path of destruction is clear.
February 8, 2026
Agreed. And the same applies to the Heirs to Blair …. and the 14 years of betrayal we suffered, right up to “Stop the Boats” Sunak who refused to actually do anything meaningful to stop them.
February 8, 2026
Yes Peter, and when employed in the State sector you even get a pay off when sacked, or promoted sideways out of the firing line and into a more comfortable job, no penalty for failure unlike those of us in the real World of hard knocks, and that is the real difference, failure is accepted and even rewarded in the State or Public sector, which is why it is failing at nearly all levels.
February 8, 2026
Gordon Brown, believing he was defending Starmer has done us all a great favour. He has joined the last Labour Government’s disasters to the present Labour Government’s disasters.
We can now sit in judgement of Labour Governments. Redwood will be able to forensically disembowel their joint economic illiteracy from the red benches shortly.
However both Prime Ministers have admitted being dupes.
Tony Blair has lost his foghorn, perhaps he is stranded on an island somewhere ….
This is the end of Labour.
We need a sound, strong new party with true capitalist, democratic values. Honest, open and ruthless. All the scabs must be ripped off and the sores cleansed so they heal.
Perhaps if Reform get rid of Farage, who announced that Mandleson was ‘brilliant’ and would make a wonderful US Ambassador (another dupe) they could form a credible Opposition.
I’m afraid the Conservatives will not cut it, even though it is refreshing to have a party leader say with confidence that ‘she is not in the Epstein files’.
February 8, 2026
Lynn, I think Farage said Mandelson was an extremely well briefed and brilliant operator, but could never be trusted.
Starmer showed his ignorance of the real world when he employed him, knowing his faults and past record.
Many of us our here with no first hand personal experience of him, found it difficult to believe he was the right choice after having been sacked twice, apart from more recent events, which Starmer addmitted were on record at the time.
February 8, 2026
My quote is exact, there is video film all over the web.
February 8, 2026
Farage on Jenrick:
August 25 ‘Jenrick is a fraud. I’ve alway thought so‘
15 Jan 26 welcomes Jenrick to Reform.
🤯 Farage is a Narcissist, can’t hold a line for a day. Just blows in the wind.
February 8, 2026
Lynn – Nigel Farage has said he was willing to help incoming US ambassador Lord Mandelson negotiate with Donald Trump’s administration. Hardly ‘brilliant’. But then that is your scorn to a tee.
February 8, 2026
No he did NOT say any such thing. You have made that up because of your (view ed). My quote is exact.
Reply I have toned this down and deleted most if it. I do not want this site used for other people’s personal rows about disputes years ago within UKIP.
February 8, 2026
Both Sky News and The Grauiniad reported the same line (on 24th & 25th Dec. 2024) I didn’t make anything up unlike you. Try google for the quote. I never bring anything up about UKIP and the leadership spat.
February 8, 2026
You did actually, and it’s annoying because we and many others are concentrated on saving Britain from the EU and its repercussions.
Look back a few blogs, you will find your attack.
There is backtracking and additional statements, but the statement made when Mandelson was appointed is as I wrote it. That’s the one that counts.
February 8, 2026
I would prefer free market values to capitalist values, although both would be an improvement on the semi-socialism that we have been subject to since 1997
February 8, 2026
Free and unrigged market and genuine freedom to choose how to spend our own money. This instead of it all being taxed off us and government giving us what they invariably wrongly decide are the dross public services we need. This after wasting loads in collection and admin costs too.
Rigged markets in energy, schools, universities, healthcare, broadcasting, banking, transport, cars, heating systems, bbc broadcasting, employment, benefits… does vast damage to the economy and to our living standards! No improvements for circa 20+ years despite all the technology advances!
February 8, 2026
You want unfettered trade but no private ownership?
How do you force the EU to trade without its tariff wall?
February 8, 2026
Reply I am not following the by election.Comment when we know the result
February 8, 2026
Don’t forget the dot.com crash of March/April 2000. At the time British pension funds were very exposed to equities, particularly the tech bubble stocks. There was concern that should the market suffer a “correction”, those nearing retirement would lose substantial sums. Greenspan famously referred to “irrational exuberance”
Brown recognised this and in a directive of unbelievable idiocy, instructed the pension funds to divest a large portion of their equity holdings. Pension and endowment mortgage firms like the then Standard Life and L&G immediately dumped a lot of their stock holdings, which caused the start of the crash
I can recall, aghast, when the FTSE 100 dropped a stomach churning 12%. In one day. Those shorting the market made a killing. By the end of the long stock market downturn in 2002, global stocks had lost $5 trillion in market capitalization from the peak. At its trough on October 9, 2002, the NASDAQ-100 had dropped to 1,114, down 78%.
Rock on Gordon, Mr Prudence.
February 8, 2026
Same old roller coaster Labour drive country into owing loads of money. Who ever follows has to get us back on track
February 8, 2026
Too many politicians lie and deceive. Even worse they do so in what appears to be total ignorance of how market economies work. Most voters have had enough which is why they are looking at the alternatives on offer.
February 8, 2026
They do not have to. What they have to do is their jobs and not busy themselves into other parts of the economy and public life.
Before 1914 and even before then, the UK worked fine. Governments did very little and most people, whilst poor, got along fine. But then we got involved with things on the Continent and from thereon it has been down hill.
February 8, 2026
Back in the late 1990’s UK institutional investors owned nearly half of all UK-quoted shares. Now it is less than 5 per cent. Why is this? – Gordon Brown’s tax raid on dividends paid to pension funds.
Until 1997, pension funds got a tax credit. So if they were paid £80 in dividends, they got back £20 as a credit. The rationale was that the company had already paid corporation tax and for pensioners at least there should be some sort of rebate
The numbers did not look huge. It raised £5billion a year and since pensioners did not realise what was happening, Brown slipped it through in his first Budget that summer without much hassle
Cumulatively, though, the impact was huge. Not only did pensioners lose the income, they lost the growth in funds that would have accrued from reinvested dividends. The total loss has been put at £250billion over the ensuing 20 years. And of course, now it raises no money for the treasury because pension funds hold hardly any British shares
Brown’s stealth tax on dividends caused the end of final salary pensions in the private sector. Now, we all get “defined contribution” pensions, which are much less generous.
Rock on Gordon, Mr Prudence
February 8, 2026
Having been the architect of the 2007/8 crash in the economic policies he ran , he never met his Golden Rule , borrowing over the economic cycle , he just kept on changing the time frame for it . It was also his designed FSA that failed to properly regulate the financial houses ( many of the sub-prime mortgage funds were parcelled up in the City of London). Brown also stripped the Bank of England from having oversight of the Banks, giving it to the FSA, but by stripping the pension funds of the Dividend Tax Relief put in place the conditions for the Truss Gilts crisis . It was in 2008 onwards that the Pension funds started leveraging their gilts portfolios with LDIs because they had a deficit of income over liabilities, add in Brown saving the world with QE , so we had all the pieces put in place for the Gilts crisis , with the starting gun fired for it when the BoE decided to reverse QE on the eve of the Truss budget with £80bn of Quantitative Tightening.
February 8, 2026
SG
Agreed investors in almost anything are now taxed on actually trading, and anything that gains a return no matter how small. Unspent Pension funds now double taxed after death with both IHT and Income tax, who would invest in a personal Pension or Sipp now with so many restrictions, regulations and taxes.
February 8, 2026
and the younger generation decided ‘why save, why invest in my future pension, why try to get employer to put more into my pension scheme?’ Chancellors no longer trustworthy……in spades.
February 8, 2026
Indeed, we took our Daughters with us when we last visited our Financial advisors, so they are fully aware of our finances when they eventually inherit on our passing.
Our complete finances were laid out in front of them, and all tax issues and options outlined.
Our Daughters comment you must really feel now “why did you bother”
And you know what, they were right given the present tax situation, which penalises, savers, investors, and those who live within their own means and want to pay their own way.
You take all the risk, the government takes almost half the profit !
February 8, 2026
And some of the capital as well, all from Tax paid income.
February 8, 2026
Precisely what we did in person recently rather than talking with them and looking at paperwork.
They both remarked in front of him ‘ we are amazed how open you (me) are about your financial situation’. Our son was too busy trying to establish a business from a lot of miles away in this depressing environment..
February 8, 2026
Socialist governments’ operate on the firm belief of wealth re-distribution. You can hear it in the words of the Greens Leader, Zak Polanski. He often sites the need to take from those that have and give to the have nots. Problem is, the have nots are growing in number as the have leave.
February 8, 2026
A respawn Gordon Brown just reminds me of the horror show that was the FSA and his ‘end boom and bust’ incredulity. I think he should assist with any investigations about Mandelson in private.
February 8, 2026
Good morning.
Gordon Brown – A man whose greatest crime is to believe in his own hype. Him and this woman who he referred to as, Prudence. Whatever happened to her ?
—
In other news. I see they have started on the (non-government) Commission for the Grooming Gangs. A tragic tale that has been going on unreported, as usual, for literally decades. So long in fact that, whilst it would be fair to say our kind host knew nothing of Mr. Epstein and his Grooming Gang, one has to ask whether he ever heard of such behaviour ?
February 8, 2026
The women he referred to as “some bigoted women” seemed to have far more sense than Gordon Brown.
He was a fan of “Endogenous growth theory” which posits that long-term economic growth is driven primarily by internal factors like human capital, innovation, and knowledge spillovers, rather than external technological shifts.
In other words of ever more government waste and ever more taxation ever more dubious and pointless degrees. Brown like Blair and Major/Cameron/May/Boris/Sunak got nearly everything wrong!
February 8, 2026
Prudence. Whatever happened to her ? I think she died of malnutrition with inadequate pension..
February 8, 2026
I wonder why Brown and Two-Tier don’t realise that branding Mandelson a liar and blaming the fact that he lied to them for all their woes doesn’t make a scrap of difference to the watching electorate?
They believe (in my view correctly) that all politicians lie to them to a greater or lesser degree and the two individuals now doing the complaining are themselves outrageous liars, particularly the current incumbent of No.10. It’s a clear case of the Pot calling the Kettle black.
Brown, in his usual clumsy way, is just trying to use this scandal to push through policies which will further his socialist cause, caring not a jot for the ordinary working people whose lives are made more difficult, and in some cases ruined, by the Utopian ideologies and basic incompetence of people like him.
February 8, 2026
Never was the saying “Birds of a feather” more apposite.
February 8, 2026
do mean vultures – preying on the nieve or dying.
February 8, 2026
On GBNews, Pat Mc Fadden said that Starmer never met Epstein, yet some Labour websites claim that the colleagues Starmer and Mandleson were members of the Trilateral Commission along with Epstein. Starmer refuses to comment on his membership. Some MP must ask him whether or not he was a member with Mandleson and Epstein and whether he met him.
February 8, 2026
Yes. I read a very interesting article the other day about Starmer’s membership of the Trilateral Commission but Sir John declined to permit the link.
February 8, 2026
Brer Blair is still very noticeable by his absence, layin’ low and saying’ nuthin’ as the NuLabour Project collapses all around, destroyed by one of its senior architects.
I wonder when he’s going to pop up to remind us that “he’s a pretty straight kinda guy” and claim that he is incredibly shocked to find out about Mandelson’s behaviour and to discover that Mandelson lied to him as well.
February 8, 2026
So Brown and Starmer “discovered” too late that Mandelson was damaging. And what of Blair?
Mandelson served 7 months under Starmer, 18 months under Brown…and 4 years under Blair.
February 8, 2026
Never was the saying “Birds of a feather” more apposite.
February 8, 2026
Brown lost approx £35bn met in the bank bailouts and approx £45bn so far in the gold sale. Besides all sorts of other errors. His period as chancellor and PM were a disaster. He says Keir Starmer is a man of integrity “which isn’t true of some other PMs” (by which presumably he means the Conservative ones not himself).
Brown must be one of the most overrated political figures of recent decades. Let’s see what he thinks are the best policies – and then do the opposite.
February 8, 2026
A prudent Scot?, but the money he lost us wasn’t his after all to lose.
February 8, 2026
Interesting to read in his emails to Epstein what Mandelson really thought of Brown even when he was his de facto deputy PM. I imagine that’s part of the reason Brown has suddenly broken cover. Tony Blair’s silence is notable.
February 8, 2026
Who would doubt that should a bond market crash happen next week, Brown’s advice would again be sought. Trump blamed. Billions again in QE to prop up banks and lower interest rates, stoking up inflation for 2 years time. By which time yet again it will be somebody else’s problem.
February 8, 2026
If i was Scottish or welsh I would be asking for independence from the UK government
February 8, 2026
Ah, you have not been looking at the Scottish or Welsh Assemblies then.
Taxes in Scotland are 20% higher than in England thanks to their ‘local government’.
February 8, 2026
and if so I hope you succeed.
February 8, 2026
Or Cornish, Yorkshire, the Isle of Wight…
February 8, 2026
Why do you want to Balkanise Britain? You think the EU strategy was to strengthen us?
February 8, 2026
In 1999 following two years of following Conservative spending plans as promised in the 1997 election Gordon Brown’s treasury allowed public sector spending of £338 billion.
By 2008 (pre recession) this had risen by over 60% to £552 billion. As his tax receipts collapsed during an easily forecastable bust following the boom years, the deficit increased to over £150 billion per year.
The deficit has never been brought under control following Gordon Brown’s drug dealer like grooming of the electorate on increased cradle to the grave public sector funded support.
Truly the worst Chancellor of all time, despite a lot of recent close competition.
As Prime Minister he was on the list of the worst too.
This man should stay out of public sight.
February 8, 2026
That is damning.
It was clear at the time that Darling and Brown had got it all wrong, but the bravo was prominent as they sought a way out of their self created mess. It cost us dearly of course and we never did get an apology.
I still feel that Starmer took on Mandelson because of his close relationship with Blair. It seems that Starmer has been trying to complete so many of the things Blair failed to do, so it would be natural for Starmer to trust Mandelson – not that this excuses anything.
I can’t see much changing whether Starmer resigns as PM or not. The forces driving the destructive policies are as strong as ever.
February 8, 2026
I’ve noticed that at least one person who sat as the Reform candidate for parliament at the last election is now a Conservative councillor in another part of the country. Which just goes to show the kind of person standing for election now is quite happy to flit between any old party just to try and get some power. Sad really.
February 8, 2026
Socialism depends upon making and keeping people poor. So it is perfectly explainable why PM Brown would want to sell our gold at rock bottom prices, even announcing the policy in advance, and, taking full advantage of the financial crash of 2008 by, as you say, Lord John, “keeping money and credit too loose on the way up and making it too tight on the way down along with their [socialist] chums at the Bank of England.” Covid was another excuse used by socialists to dramatically increase our national debt, illhealth and social ills together with of course, wokery, a rapidly expanding and increasingly inefficient civil service, Net Zero and mass illegal and legal immigration. According to Professor Gordon Hughes of the Renewable Energy Foundation the UK taxpayer has already funded £220bn in renewable subsidies (£8000/household) since 2002 (2024 prices) and is currently funding £26bn/year. NESO say their Clean Power 2030 project will cost “over £40bn annually”. It is time we had a referendum on whether or not to continue along this Net Zero path which NESO has costed at £9 tn if the carbon taxes are added.
February 8, 2026
Well my Lord, kicking over the past failures of a Labour government are always worth doing, it reminds everyone that if you think they are bad now just remember how bad they can be.
Why Mandelson has maintained his high profile over these past thirty years is due entirely to the efforts of the BBC to keep him in the spotlight. He was always a strange character relying on the wealth of others to take him upwards and onwards. His time at the EU as Trade Commissioner should never be ignored. That was the period that saw his personal standing and wealth balloon leading to his appointment to the Lords and back into mainstream politics as deputy PM to Gordon Brown.
The fact such characters as Mandelson can be allowed the freedoms and access to the airwaves given to him by the BBC tells us more about the BBC than it says about him.
You will be no doubt relieved you will not have to avoid bumping into his in the HoL now he has been excluded.
Enjoy your new surroundings Mandelson free.
February 8, 2026
The thing I am struggling to understand, is what it was that was so wonderful about Mandelson that made the Prime Minister decide it was worth ignoring all the warning signals he was given, and go ahead with appointing him ambassador to the USA?
To most people he was just another dodgy Labour has-been.
February 8, 2026
Thanks John
Labour repeatedly criticises George Osbourne’s austerity policy
Was this the only answer to Brown’s disaster ?
February 8, 2026
“More than that they need new immigration and economic policies that work and are in line with public demands.”
Well, it’s not going to happen, especially with a PM who prefers Davos to Westminster. Neither would it happen if we simply had a re-jig of a majority of the existing parties’ MPs and candidates. As Brexit has demonstrated, the public’s demands can only be met through a referendum and these need to made on levels of immigration, membership of the ECHR and Net Zero.
February 8, 2026
What we are seeing is the blame game and if you keep going like this could eventually bring on a crisis for the UK itself – here in NI we hear mutterings from time to time from some leading Unionists – people who you would not normally expect to hear considering ‘new arrangements’ – in fact some have been down to Dublin recently at debating engagements – so careful how you go.
February 8, 2026
Well Irishmen are organising against the attacks and fighting back. Targeting the cancer accurately.
I can understand why Unionists are looking south.
I am myself!
February 8, 2026
Very pleased to hear what you said last Friday at the Conservative lunch, I can only hope that you can bring some sense to the affairs of the country when you take your place in the Lords.
Best wishes
Paul
Reply Thanks for coming and for your good wishes.
February 8, 2026
Off topic – Morgan McSweeney has gone, so 2TK is now off the hook, back to the ‘Plan’
February 8, 2026
Will McSweeney, like Mandelson, get a big taxpayer goodbye bung ? Only in politics
February 8, 2026
Always have a fall guy/girl ready for the drop.
February 8, 2026
No, Starmer is next.
February 8, 2026
Deflection, deflection, deflection
Repeating what I said yesterday, the ‘dead cat’ on the table was Mandelson, he wasn’t in government, he had nothing to do with the extreme financial pressure the people and the nation are under. In fact as far as today goes he is a nobody.
The real story. Closer ties to the EU. More money sent to fund the EU, without democratic over-site The EU defining UK Food Standards inside the UK, without democratic over-site. UK fish given away and a fishing industry destroyed. NetZero cost has run out of control and the means to pay for them cancelled, offshored, removed. Elections and democracy cancelled. Free speech cancelled. UK territory vital to our safety and security given away. Energy cost though the roof. All cost, cost, cost on the UK Taxpayer. All punishment dumped on the UK Electorate. These are not bad choices these are all part of the 2TK ‘Plan’
February 8, 2026
I personally always thought Gordon Browns seeming ineptitude in causing the financial crash had more the do with him being close to ‘Fred the Shred’ and the need to bail him out when he screwed up. That led to gold being sold at a ridiculously low price, the sell of of the UK’s nuclear power capability on the pretence the country would never need nuclear power. In fact if he was permitted I guess he would have sold the ‘crown jewels’
This is also the man that recommended Mandelson for a peerage Everyone knew he was a dubious character (Mandelson) then, yet Brown wanted him to be honoured, So for Brown to poke his head above the parapet now seems a bit suspect.
February 8, 2026
Betcha McSweeney gets a peerage or such like, for falling on his sword
February 9, 2026
@glen cullen – I wont take that bet. Fast becoming a house of disrepute
February 8, 2026
McSweeney falls on his sword – will this save the PM?
Crypto is tanking – will this precipitate another Labour financial crisis?
Will G Brown be brought back as a consultant as he claimed to have saved the world last time?
February 8, 2026
Fell or pushed on it?
February 8, 2026
“You can fool many people, but never fool yourself” , snakes and ladders, musical chairs, snake oil and self delusion on steroids.
“Never Assume because it makes an a As of U and me”
I’ve found myself wondering how basic, sound, old fashioned sayings and common sense have been lacking amongst people in top positions today.
Down here on the ground are millions who cannot believe that folk with degrees at top universities etc can churn out some very dumb folk to be our leaders.
Mrs Duffy put Gordon Brown in his place. He’s still not learnt anything.
Mandelson is still in shock unaware that the digital age records text, voice, images and more since the new millennium over and above tape and film.The
Similar to dinosaur Post office leaders who offloaded responsibility into others.
Blaming everyone and everything else , plausible denying and spinning. A familiar but reaction but now wearing thin today.
February 8, 2026
Never Confuse Education With Intelligence You Can Have A Ph.d. And Still Be An Idiot.
– Richard Feynman
February 9, 2026
“Smash the gangs? Give us the fastest growth? Keep taxes down ? When do they do any of these things?”
I am convinced Starmer never intended to do any of that. The ‘pledges’ are in Labour’s manifesto because McSweeney persuaded Starmer to put them there, in order to win the election.
Once it was won, McSweeney knew that existing electoral legislation made it possible for Starmer to break manifesto promises on a daily basis, in order to pacify the leftwing Labour MPs, and for Labour to remain in power until 2029 – by which time they hoped a newly immigrated electorate voting en masse would guarantee a permanent Labour majority. The first priority was to have revenge on non-Labour voters (pensioners, farmers, landlords) and reward the bankrolling unions (unsustainable wage increases). The second was to raise taxes in order to keep the longterm workless voting Labour, by increasing benefits. This was done by pretending there was an unpredicted large hole in the economy left behind by the Tory government, for which taxes had to be increased massively.
And transparently clear though much of this is (and has been since August 2024), there is nothing, nothing at all, the electorate or Opposition can do about it.