Watch the moment GB News stars Tom Harwood and Olivia Utley struggle to contain their laughter as they discuss the Conservatives’ latest “policy blitz” at its party conference.
Tom admitted the pair had been debating what “big thing” was actually cutting through, before concluding that few people in the country seem willing to “give the Conservative Party a hearing”.
The comments come after Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride unveiled proposals for reducing Government expenditure by £47billion when he addressed delegates.
The plans include £23billion in welfare reductions, with changes to support for those experiencing minor mental health issues and restrictions preventing non-UK nationals from accessing benefits.
Olivia Utley struggled contain her laughter as she discussed the conference
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GB NEWS
Additional savings would come from reducing the civil service workforce by approximately 25 per cent, yielding £8billion, whilst international development funding would face £7billion in reductions, bringing it to 0.1 per cent of national income.
Olivia Utley said: “Well, absolutely. Tom, the Conservatives have been on a policy blitz over the last couple of days and this is set to continue.”
A laughing Tom admitted: “We have to come clean. We had a little chat before we had this chat on air and we were like, what should we be talking about?
“What is the big thing that cuts through on this conference? Ultimately, we both kept coming to this conclusion. Is anyone in the country?
“Is anyone out there actually willing to give the Conservative Party a hearing?
Olivia said: “This is the problem for the Conservatives. They’re on this policy blitz. We’ve got Mel Stride out today talking about all of these cuts that he wants to make.
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“They are trying to position themselves as the party of sound money. And there is an argument that there is a gap in the market for that.
“We know that Rachel Reeves is spending. We know that in the Budget next month, she is likely to raise taxes, something that she promised she wasn’t going to do at the last election.
“We know that actually Reform, although they are very, very tough on immigration, they’re not a kind of Thatcherite party.”
Tom admitted the pair had been debating what ‘big thing’ was actually cutting through
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GB NEWS
The proposals also target council housing expenditure, arguing demand would decrease once foreign nationals lose eligibility for social accommodation.
Environmental subsidies for heat pumps and electric vehicles would face cuts, alongside the party’s commitment to abolish climate change legislation.
The Conservatives find themselves in historically dire circumstances, currently polling third behind Reform UK and Labour according to recent YouGov data, with support rarely exceeding 25 per cent throughout the year.
This represents minimal improvement from their devastating electoral defeat in July, marking their worst performance in nearly two centuries of existence.