squirming cier starm attempted to blame his controversial winter fuel payments decision on The Inheritance left by the Tories the Prime Minister used a major speech in the Downing Street Rose Garden to insist things are worse than we ever imagined cir ear repeated Chancellor Rachel R claim of a 22 billion pound black hole in the public finances and insisted we have to fix the NS we have to fix our homes our schools put to him that some people would not think labor was honest during the election campaign and asked what further tax Rises to expect in the budget he said we were being honest about the situation before the election we set out very clearly what we would be doing with tax Rises I made it clear on numerous occasions that National Insurance vat and income tax would not go up the Triple lock for working people and that remains the position I also set out that our plans were fully funded and fully costed what I did not expect was a 22 billion black hole do denied his remarks were performative adding I didn't want to have to deal with the winter fuel allowance for pensioners we have to fix the NHS we have to fix our homes our schools and pensioners rely on them in the same way as everybody else does so I'm not going to preempt the budget but I am absolutely not going to accept that the inheritance that we have is anything other than d a 22 billion black hole in his address cir warned that Labour's first budget in October would be painful as he paved the way for tax hikes he said there is a budget coming in October and it's going to be painful we have no other choice given the situation that we're in those with their broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden and that's why we're cracking down on non-doms those who made the mess should have to do their bit to clean it up that's why we're strengthening the powers of the water regulator and tring tough findes on the water companies that let sewage flood our rivers lakes and seas but just as when I responded to the riots I'll have to turn to the country and make big asks of you as well to accept short-term pay for long-term good the difficult tradeoff for the genuine solution and I know that after all that you have been through that is a really big ask and really difficult to hear do that is not the position we should be in it's not the position I want to be in but we have to end the PO ICS of the easy answer that solves nothing dot it comes amid a backlash over labor restricting wind to fuel payments to only those on pension credit meaning around 10 million older people will miss out Shadow Chief secretary to the treasury Laur Trot said the government are no longer promising to protect working people from their incoming tax raid because just like pensioners Working Families annexed in line for labor tax hikes after promising over 50 times in the election not to raise taxes on working people labor are now rolling the pitch to break even more promises the chancellor is entitled to raise taxes to pay for their expensive choices and above inflation pay Rises demanded by her union pay masters but she should have had the courage to be honest from the start dot this a betrayal of people's trust and we will hold them to account for their actions