Balls: We’re letting the Tories off the hook
By Ian Dunt
Labour’s internal arguments are allowing the Conservatives a free run at Downing Street, children’s secretary Ed Balls has admitted.
Mr Balls, who is Gordon Brown’s most important ally in the Cabinet, made the warning as the two parties clashed on spending cuts and school testing.
“If the last few weeks teach us anything, it’s that a Labour party divided and turning in on itself simply lets the Tories off the hook,” he wrote in an article for the Guardian.
“Less than a year before the election, the opposition have not been subject to anything like the kind of scrutiny they deserve.
“David Cameron is playing the public for fools and, frankly, the centre-left have let him get away with it. We must unite and turn our fire on the Tories.”
The article constitutes Mr Balls first major intervention since the dramatic Cabinet reshuffle in which he emerged a major loser.
Heavily tipped to become chancellor, Mr Balls lost out when Alistair Darling secured a rearguard defence against the embattled prime minister.
“Regardless of the state of the economy, David Cameron has made clear he would always spend less than Labour and is committed to cut spending by a devastating ten per cent on education and children’s services,” Mr Balls wrote this morning, citing shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley’s comment that the Tories would cut ten per cent of spending outside of health, education and international development.
“At the same time, he insists that his priority – come what may – is an inheritance tax cut for the 3,000 richest estates,” he continued.
“Before the Budget, I rightly came under pressure from schools and colleges to find the extra funding, and Tory schools spokesman Michael Gove delighted in mock indignation at the shortfall.
“Yet when I asked him whether the Tories would themselves commit to funding all the extra places, he went strangely quiet.”
Mr Balls also backed Mr Brown’s habit of seeking ‘dividing lines’ between himself and his political opponents.
“Those who claim it is old-fashioned to talk about ‘dividing lines’ in politics are basically saying all mainstream parties are the same. That suits the Tory desire to get elected by stealth, but it’s a dangerous nonsense.”
Mr Balls hit out at plans from Mr Gove to scrap primary schools tests this morning.
