Commentators Aman Bhogal and Judita Da Silva entered into a furious clash on GB News today over Labour’s handling of the economy.
The row came after the UK economy unexpectedly contracted by 0.1 per cent in January 2025, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Speaking on GB News Judita Da Silva said: “Chances are this administration will not actually feel the dividends of the kinds of changes they are making, but they have to be changed because what had happened thus far, it has been a slow, slow growth for a decade for the better part of a decade.
“That’s nothing new. But now that this contraction has happened, everyone’s getting scared and saying that it’s not working. Should they change tack now, it’s going to be even more detrimental in the long term.”
Commentators Aman Bhogal and Judita Da Silva broke into a heated arguement
GB NEWS
Aman Bhogal responded: “You don’t create growth by taxing the wealth generators that are small businesses with, you know, pummelling their with national Insurance rises.
“You don’t create growth by driving out high net worth individuals at the fastest rate anywhere in the world that are leaving the UK.
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“And you know why? Because they do not trust their socialist government to do the right thing.”
He added: “Go back just a few years. We had the hike in the top rate of tax under the previous Labour government, back when Gordon Brown was prime minister, and the moment that top rate of tax was reduced by just 5 per cent by George Osborne, you had higher tax receipts.
“So this idea, this socialist failed idea that you can somehow tax Britain into growth is nonsense. It doesn’t work.”
She hit back: “The nature of the taxes being brought in are fundamentally to change the workers, the welfare worker.”
He fumed: “You won’t have any workers. Okay? You won’t have any work because you don’t have anyone to employ.”
Despite the monthly decline, the economy grew by 0.2 per cent in the three months to January.
The manufacturing sector was hit particularly hard, falling by 1.1 per cent in January, its steepest monthly decline in over a year.
Production output overall dropped by 0.9 per cent, following growth of 0.5 per cent in December, reaching its lowest monthly level since May 2020.
Chancellor Reeves now faces mounting pressure ahead of her Spring Statement on March 26th.
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Construction output fell by 0.2 per cent, marking a second consecutive monthly decline.
Chancellor Reeves now faces mounting pressure ahead of her Spring Statement on March 26.
The economic contraction comes at a critical time, with Labour’s planned tax increases set to take effect in April.
