Similarly, Peter Mandelson, former righthand man to Blair, told the BBC’s Westminster Hour that the government needed to “show what the sacrifice is about” by offering some light at the end of the tunnel.
The sentiment was echoed by a former senior civil servant who recently left a high-spending department and was not authorized to speak publicly. “I happen to think cutting the winter fuel payment is a good idea, but at some point you need to communicate what it’s all in aid of,” they said.
Likewise, a newly elected Labour MP, also granted anonymity in order to speak frankly, said the government had not “rolled the pitch” for removing winter fuel payments, and that while it could be mitigated for the poorest pensioners, it had left them “anxious about what’s coming in the budget.”
Enough with the gloom
The same Labour aide quoted above said that while they understood the theory behind the pessimistic outlook, “you need some light and shade.”
A second Labour official, also speaking anonymously, complained the government was not publicizing its own policies enough, allowing the news cycle to be filled by dismal speculation about the budget. “Where’s all the good news?” they asked exasperatedly.
Starmer’s spokesperson defended his methods this week in suitably dry terms, telling journalists who asked about his gloomy stance: “It is only with economic growth that you are able to get the tax receipts that you need to fund public services and increase living standards across the country.”