The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg ruthlessly dismantled one of Labour's key claims in their blame game of the last Tory government.
Since Labor won the election in July, the government party has repeatedly warned of difficult decisions ahead, blaming the Tories for reckless economic plans.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said that “worst economic inheritance since World War Two,” adding that the government has had to deal with a £22 billion black hole left by the Conservatives.
However, Ms Kuennsberg quickly pushed back on this in an analysis on the BBC website, where she pointed out that £9 billion of that much-quoted black hole figure was due to the public sector pay rises above inflation which Labor granted.
In July, Ms Reeves agreed to give British public sector workers such as teachers and doctors inflation-busting pay rises worth £9.4 billion in a bid to avoid disruptive industrial action.
At the time, Ms Reeves blamed the previous Conservative administration for covering up the scale of the black hole in the public finances. The Chancellor added that the government will have to cut public spending in other areas.
The BBC host wrote: “From the moment any government takes charge, their decisions matter.
“Part of the '£22 billion black hole' that Labor loves to mention is the £9 billion public sector pay rises – above inflation – that it has decided to grant.”
She went on to note that Labor insiders claim that the £22bn figure is hitting home in voter focus groups.
The scathing rebuke from Ms Kuennsberg comes ahead of her sit-down interview with Sir Keir Starmer in No 10 which will air tomorrow morning. It will be his first major interview from Downing Street.
She summed up Labour's blame-game tactic on X, posting: “The new govt's been busy playing the blame game, so when does the buck pass to them?”
Ms Kuennsberg highlighted the doom-and-gloom approach of Labour's first two months in power, saying they have focused on “the dire state of the economy, the dreadful state of our prisons” with a review of the NHS also on the way.
One senior government source told the BBC: “I'm prepared for people to get sick of hearing about the inheritance from the Tories.”
The BBC political host suggested that the tone of Sir Keir's government will shift in early 2025, when the government hopes to deliver on its manifesto promises.