You can’t blame Chancellor John Healey for trying.
After Sir Keir Starmer and former chancellor Rachel Reeves – understandably keen to disparage the Tories – talked the economy down and upset business and consumer confidence, Healey decided to take a Beach Boys approach: his first keynote speech was all Good Vibrations.
To maintain the more upbeat note that has been a hallmark of Andy Burnham’s administration, Healey tried to tell a “new story of Britain”, involving “optimism, grit and resilience” and a greater partnership between central Government, local leaders and businesses.
Shorts
But all the evidence is to the contrary.
