Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Government, demanding it “get a grip” on crucial issues facing Britain.
Speaking to GB News, Stride expressed deep concerns about the government’s handling of both domestic and international challenges.
The Shadow Chancellor criticised the administration’s approach across multiple fronts, from economic policy to migration management.
“At the end of the day, this government has got to get a grip,” Stride said. “We’re seeing this right across the piece, not just with small boats where the numbers have been going up, but also on the economy.”
Mel Stride urged Keir Starmer to ‘get a grip’ on pressing domestic issues
GB News / PA
He warned that current policies could lead to “higher unemployment and higher inflation,” adding that Britain faces “higher interest rates and lower wages” under the present leadership.
The criticism comes as Starmer delivered a major foreign policy speech at the lord mayor’s banquet on Monday, where he pledged to strengthen Britain’s international alliances.
The Prime Minister vowed to “invest more deeply” than ever in Britain’s relationship with the United States under his leadership.
Speaking about Ukraine, Starmer warned of Putin’s “near and present danger” to the West, describing Russia as “an erratic, increasingly desperate aggressor.”
Keir Starmer refused to choose between allies during his banquet speech
PA
In his GB News interview, Stride highlighted concerns about potential trade uncertainties with a future Trump presidency.
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“With Donald Trump coming into the presidency, there is quite a lot of uncertainty around things like trade wars and tariffs,” the Shadow Chancellor warned.
He suggested these international concerns were overshadowing more pressing domestic issues. “This is really distracting in a sense from the bigger problem we’ve got, which is actually what’s happening in the domestic economy here in the UK,” Stride said.
He particularly criticised the recent Budget, describing it as “extraordinary” with concerning levels of spending and borrowing.
The Shadow Chancellor expressed specific worry about taxation on businesses, which he claimed was “really bearing down on our ability to grow as an economy.”
Stride told GB News that using the slogan ‘smash the gangs’ is no deterrent
GB News
Stride also delivered pointed criticism of the government’s migration policies, particularly targeting Starmer’s “smash the gangs” slogan.
“Based on what I’ve seen so far, a slogan like ‘smash the gangs’ doesn’t in itself achieve anything,” he stated, emphasising the importance of deterrence.
The Shadow Chancellor pointed to previous successful policies, including the Rwanda scheme and Albania returns arrangement, which he said had demonstrated clear results.
“You saw illegal migrants going from Northern Ireland into Ireland in order to get away from our jurisdiction, as a result of that Rwanda policy,” he noted.
He expressed concern over the reversal of previous progress, stating: “We shut a large number of migrant hotels that were actually housing migrants because of the expense of doing that, what you’re seeing under this government is that going into reverse.”
