RACHEL Reeves has blamed the previous Tory government’s handling of the asylum system as the Chancellor announced huge cuts.
The Chancellor told the Commons on Monday that the Labour Government will be publishing a “detailed audit” and accused the Tories of a “cover up”, including hiding £35 billion worth of spending of which a projected £22bn was not budgeted for.
Listing the reasons for the overspend, Reeves first outlined the asylum system, including the “failed” Rwanda plan, which she said cost more than £6.4bn for this year alone and will be scrapped.
“The Illegal Migration Act, passed by the previous Government, made it impossible to process asylum applications and remove those with no right to be here," she said.
READ MORE: Labour government scraps Winter Fuel Payment for millions of pensioners
"Instead, they relied on a doomed policy to send asylum seekers to Rwanda on planes that never took off, leaving tens of thousands of people stuck in hotels on the public purse.
“We need a properly controlled and managed asylum system where rules are enforced so that those with no right to be here are swiftly removed."
In another blistering attack, Reeves announced plans to "significantly reduce" the use of hotels for asylum seekers.
“These measures will save nearly £800 million this year and avoid costs spiralling even further,” she claimed.
Among other overspends, Reeves added that there was “not enough money set aside for the reserve” to fund costs associated with Ukraine and also highlighted that the transport budget included commitments worth £1.6bn that were also unfunded.
Shadow chancellor Jeremy Hunt, meanwhile, slammed claims of a black hole in public finances as “fictitious” and Reeves’ arguments as “not credible”.
Among the cuts announced by Reeves was immediately ending the Winter Fuel Payment for those not in receipt of benefits – impacting millions of pensioners across the UK.
The Scottish Government is already looking to replace this payment, The National understands, and has been approached for further comment.
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