Labour will not have the courage to cut spending, says Badenoch
The problem with an opposition party throwing out a £70bn cuts figure is that it's easy to say when you're not the one holding the Budget pen. Badenoch's challenge to Labour is a classic bit of political positioning, daring a government that campaigned on investment to embrace restraint. Fair enough, that's what oppositions do. But a number that big invites scrutiny she'll need to answer: which programmes get cut, which taxes rise, and what happens to the public services millions depend on.
I'd want to know where the £70bn actually lands. Cutting waste is popular in the abstract, but the moment you name an army of civil servants, paused infrastructure projects or trimmed benefits, the politics change. Labour will counter that the country has seen enough austerity and that services need money, not more shrinkage. There's something to both cases, and that's why this debate is worth watching rather than dismissing.
The real test comes once the Budget is published. If Labour raises taxes and borrows more, Badenoch has her attack line. If they surprise with restraint, her position looks shakier. Either way, we're about to find out how much courage either party actually has once the choices become concrete.