Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said ‘every part of our society is struggling’ as he faced questions about police funding ahead of Rachel Reeves’ spending review on Wednesday
A Labour frontbencher refused to rule out real-terms spending cuts to police in Rachel Reeves ‘ spending review on Wednesday.
Peter Kyle said “every part of our society is struggling” ahead of the Chancellor’s crunch speech – and said police must “do their bit”. He also suggested there may not be an announcement about winter fuel payments in Ms Reeves’ long-awaited review of Government spending.
It comes after the UK’s most senior police chiefs wrote to Keir Starmer warning that forces may have to deprioritise some types of crime if money from the Treasury is not forthcoming. Mr Kyle said: “On the fact that the police have been writing to the Chancellor…
“We also have letters from the universities, we have letters from doctors about the health service, we have letters from campaigners for child poverty writing to us, and other aspects of challenges in Britain at the moment.
READ MORE: Rachel Reeves to splash billions of pounds on NHS and schools – but other cuts loom
“Every part of our society is struggling because of the inheritance that we had as a country and as a Government.” He hinted that schools will receive a funding boost in the spending review, saying Ms Reeves will commit to investing “the most we’ve ever spent per pupil”.
But asked if the Government would provide clarity on how it will make more pensioners eligible for winter fuel payments, Mr Kyle said: “These issues are going to be dealt with in the run-up to the autumn, where these decisions are going to be taken and announced.
“But this is a spending review that’s going to set the overall spending constraints for Government for the next period, the next three years, so you’re sort of talking about two separate issues at the moment.” He pointed to £1.1billion extra funding already earmarked for police this year, warning that public services would be expected to “do their bit”. Mr Kyle said: “We expect the police to start embracing the change they need to do, to do their bit for change as well. We are doing our bit.
“You see a Chancellor that is striving to get investment to the key parts of our country that need it the most… You will see the priorities of this Government reflected in the spending review, which sets the departmental spending into the long term.”
The Department of Health is expected to be the biggest winner in Ms Reeves’ spending review, with the NHS receiving a boost of up to £30 billion at the expense of other public services.
Day-to-day funding for schools is expected to increase by an extra £4.5 billion by 2028-9. But he declined to say Housing Secretary Angela Rayner’s department would not face cuts, in spite of the promise to deliver 1.5million new homes by the end of the decade.
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