Rachel Reeves interview taken off air as she blasts Tory failure on the economy

10 March 2024 , 09:35

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Rachel Reeves interview taken off air as she blasts Tory failure on the economy

A TV interview with Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves was pulled off air after continual technical issues.

Presenter Sir Trevor Phillips was forced to apologise to viewers after sound problems meant they couldn't hear what the Labour frontbencher was saying. She was responding to Jeremy Hunt's budget on Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips before the interview was culled.

As she laid out Labour tax plans and criticised the Tories for failing to deal with the non-dom tax status for years, the repeated sound problems baffled those watching. Eventually the embarrassed host was forced to admit enough was enough.

Sir Trevor said: "Well, I'm really sorry, everybody, but we're having some technical difficulties here which is making that interview very difficult for everybody to watch." The exchange was marred by continual issues with sound which meant much of what Ms Reeves said was missed. In a segment that was clear, the Shadow Chancellor took a swipe at the Tories for taking so long to scrap the non-dom tax status.

An interview with Rachel Reeves had to be pulled due to technical issues

Jeremy Hunt finally announced the move on Wednesday after years of pressure. She said: "They've had 14 years and they use this moment to close the non-dom tax loophole that everyone has been aware of for years.

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"If they had done this when we first announced it, we could have brought in billions of pounds extra to either keep taxes down for working people or indeed take money into what has taken them so long."

And she branded it a "humiliation" that the Tories were only acting in the final months before an election. Ms Reeves said: "What good could have been done if the Chancellor and Prime Minister had done this years ago? So it is a humiliation that they're doing it at this late stage when time is quickly running out"

Meanwhile she said that a Labour Government would bring in targeted tax increases - such as removing tax breaks for private schools. These would provide vital cash for public services, she said.

Ms Reeves told Sir Trevor: "I have already announced a number of targeted tax increases to provide an immediate injection of cash into public services. So it's why I said, for example, that private schools pay VAT and business rates and that money should go to the 93% of all children at state schools.

"It's why I've said that we would close the loopholes led by some of the biggest oil and gas companies."

Dave Burke