Rachel Reeves says she won’t let critics get her down

Rachel Reeves has said she won’t let critics “get me down” after a rocky few days for the UK economy.

was chancellor Talking to Nick Robinson on BBC Political Thinking A weekend podcast found the country’s borrowing costs reached their highest levels in several years.

Reeves said the increase was “not a British phenomenon” and that other countries had also seen borrowing costs rise.

He also stressed that he has “whatever we need to give to the people in this country” and ideas “to change things.”

Data revealed on Thursday Britain’s economy grew 0.1% in November This has increased concerns that growth may remain stagnant for some time to come.

The Conservatives have accused the Chancellor of “burying his head in the sand” and called for an “immediate change of course”.

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper said Reeves “has put the handbrake on the economy with his misguided jobs tax” – a reference to To increase national insurance Paid by businesses.

Speaking to the BBC, Reeves said that the current level of growth was “not good enough” and that raising the figures was “the number one mission of the Labor government”.

As part of that mission, Reeves said she would meet with regulators to encourage them to “do what’s necessary” to spur growth.

“If regulators keep doing what they are doing we will not be able to grow the economy.”

He said there was not “that big of a room” to meet with all the UK regulators.

Since coming to power in July, Reeves has faced criticism for many of his decisions Removal of winter fuel payment From all except the poorest pensioners, Changes in inheritance tax rules for farmers And Choosing not to compensate women Affected by changes in state pension age.

He defended the steps as a “difficult decision” that were “the right decision in the national interest”.

She further said that she wished she had come to the job and been told “‘the money is coming’… so I could have made different decisions”.

“But given the circumstances I inherited, I decided I had to make sure the sums added up.”

Asked whether his decisions had damaged business confidence, Reeves asked: “What was the alternative?

“All decisions have consequences but imagine the alternative.

“Imagine I had not solved that problem and now when the financial markets look at the UK, they would be saying ‘This is a government that is not being realistic about the circumstances it faces, as much as it It is spending more money than it is bringing in.” Have to borrow more and more.

Asked about his criticism, Reeves said, “I don’t take it personally.

“Some people don’t want me to succeed. Some people don’t want this government to succeed.”

The Chancellor added: “That’s absolutely fair. That’s their prerogative. But I won’t let them sway me. I won’t let them stop me from doing what this government has got the mandate to do, and that is to grow the economy “