Sky News host Wilfred Frost didn’t hold back today when he challenged Mel Stride for refusing to admit the Tories led the UK into recession.
Stride, the former work and pensions secretary, was on Sky News attacking Labour’s recent benefit crackdown. He claimed Downing Street had “killed economic growth stone dead.”
But Frost wasn’t having it.
‘We’re Not in Recession’ — But the Tories Were
Yes, the UK’s GDP shrank by 0.1% in January. However, Frost pointed out that technically, the country isn’t in a recession — yet.
For a recession to be official, there needs to be two consecutive quarters of negative growth. That did happen in 2023, though — under the Tories.
Stride tried to sidestep this fact.
“We had the fastest-growing economy in the G7 when the government took over,” Stride claimed.
Frost wasn’t letting that slide.
“For a six-month period — following a six-month period where you were in recession, which hasn’t materialised under Labour.”
‘Was There a Recession Under Rishi Sunak?’
Frost pressed Stride directly:
“Was there a recession under the last Rishi Sunak government? Is there a recession now?”
Stride dodged the question. Instead, he blamed external factors like the Ukraine war and the Covid pandemic for the country’s economic struggles.
Frost wasn’t buying it.
“Answer me that question — did you have a recession, is there a recession now?”
When Stride kept avoiding the question, Frost cut him off:
“The non-answer speaks volumes.”
Tory Spin Falls Flat
Stride insisted that inflation was “imported” due to global conflicts. He also claimed the government’s handling of the crisis prevented mass unemployment.
“We got ourselves through that without mass unemployment,” Stride said.
But Frost reminded him that the UK entered recession under the Tories. Meanwhile, under Labour — no recession (yet).
The takeaway? Frost exposed Stride’s attempt to rewrite history — and he wasn’t having any of it.
You can watch it below:
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