GB News host Carole Malone has brutally slammed Rachel Reeves for her spring statement, in which she set out her plans for the UK economy. The Chancellor was accused of “tanking the economy” by Shadow Chancellor, Mel Stride, as she outlined the grim realities facing the country. Reeves confirmed welfare cuts of £4.8 billion in her latest review but ensured the government’s priority was to restore stability to the public finances.

However, recent forecasts have said that the GDP will go up by just one per cent this year, which obliterates the £9.9 billion financial cushion and suggests a likelihood of further spending cuts. Now, Carole Malone has had her say about the recent budget on GB News, labeling Reeves “mad and deluded.” The Chancellor claimed that she is fixing the foundations of the economy and defended her welfare cuts.

Carole continued, “The economy flatlined. It’s in the toilet. We’ve got a stagnant growth. Living standards are plummeting, and she’s trying to make out we’re living in this country that’s booming. That everything is alright and I’m thinking, ‘What planet are you on?’ She’s talking to us like we’re stupid. Like we don’t understand what is going on. But we do.”

The budget comes after the Chancellor was hit with criticism after she accepted free tickets to see a Sabrina Carpenter concert in London. On BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, Rachel defended her decision to accept the free concert tickets because it was “the right thing to do from a security perspective”. Ms Reeves’ visit to the concert comes just months after a row was sparked over ministers accepting freebies. A change is being implemented with new guiding principles on when gifts should be accepted.

The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, admitted receiving gifts from prominent Labour donor Lord Alli last year, including “multiple pairs of glasses.” He later paid back £6,000 worth of hospitality and gifts, including four Taylor Swift concert tickets and four tickets to the races, but did not repay football tickets due to ‘security reasons’ like Rachel Reeves.

Speaking about the freebie, Ms Reeves said: “I went with a member of my family to see a concert a couple of weeks ago. I do now have security, which means it’s not as easy as it would have been in the past to just sit in a concert, although that would probably be a lot easier for everyone concerned. “So, look, I took those tickets to go with a member of my family. I thought that was the right thing to do from a security perspective.”