Revealed: Rishi's recession exposes the DOZEN nonsense Tory claims already in 2024

Since the start of 2024, Rishi Sunak and the Tory Party have tried to claim that the economy is turning a corner - but the news that Britain has entered recession has revealed how out of touch they are.

On a dozen occasions in the last few weeks, the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and numerous Conservative Cabinet and Treasury ministers have been telling working people that our country's finances are on the up. 

Today’s news confirms the reality for families up and down the country: prices are continuing to rise, pay packets are being stretched to the max, and Rishi Sunak has failed to rescue us from the Tory economic wreck his party caused. GDP is now lower than when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister.

Rishi Sunak has said the country’s finances were “pointing in the right direction”, while Jeremy Hunt, celebrated that working people are “starting to see the fruits” of his economic plan.

These are claims that could only be made by people with no idea what ordinary families are facing.

Time and again the Conservatives have shown they are out of touch with the realities of facing working households. 

The dozen Conservative claims:

1. Rishi Sunak started the year celebrating that Britain had avoided a recession:
   
   “If you think about what was being said then people were projecting that we would have a year-long deep recession this year. Well in fact we've avoided that.” 
   
   BBC, 23:04-23:13, 7 January 2024,https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001v6j0/sunday-with-laura-kuenssberg-can-rishi-sunak-win-the-election

2. Laura Trotttold Sky News that the economy is starting to turn a corner:
   
   “We are starting to see things turn a corner.”
   
   Sky News, 1:36-1:38, 7 January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5nLTYZFD4g&list=PLG8IrydigQfeHXQMZR8dr7EOXAVDCqjE4&index=28

3. Mel Stridetold LBC the economy is turning a corner:
   
   "Today’s figures are yet more evidence the economy is turning a corner with the numbers of jobs hitting a record high and inactivity falling by nearly 270,000 last year.”
   
   LBC, 16 January 2024, https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/uk-wage-growth-slows-unemployment-unchanged/

4. Jeremy Hunttold ITV that the economic plan is working, and we are turning a corner:
   
   “That plan is working, and we should stick to it. and we will succeed. We took difficult decisions to control borrowing and are now turning a corner, so we need to stay the course we have set out, including boosting growth with more competitive tax levels.”
   
   ITV, 0:28-0:31, 17 January 2024, https://www.itv.com/news/2024-01-17/surprise-inflation-rate-rise-to-4-as-hunt-insists-government-plan-is-working

5. Jeremy Hunt said thatthe economy is now turning a corner, and that people are starting to see the fruits of the Tory economic plan:
   
   “Global challenges have made life tough for people in Britain but the economy is now turning a corner and we are now starting to see the fruits of our plan. Because of our careful management of the economy, we can start cutting taxes again in a way (that) is both affordable and boosts our growth.”
   
   Mail on Sunday, 21 January 2024, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12986647/Jeremy-Hunt-slash-taxes-March-Budget.html

6. Laura Trott said that because of“decisive action,” the economy is turning a corner:
   
   “Because of this Government's decisive action, the economy is now beginning to turn a corner. Inflation has more than halved.”
   
   Daily Mail, 24 January 2024, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12995119/Jeremy-Hunt-tax-borrowing-December-inflation-debt-rishi-sunak.html

7. Bim Afolami described the economy as turning a corner:
   
   Sophie Ridge: “How would you describe the current state of the economy?”
   Bim Afolami: “It’s getting better – we’ve turned a corner.”
   
   Sky News,2:03-2:09, 31 January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6oQuHPe1w4
   
   “We have turned a corner and we stick with our plan and thing will continue to get better.”
   
   Sky News, 2:52-3:00, 31 January 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6oQuHPe1w4

8. Bim Afolami said “we are now at a point where the economy is turning a corner”:
   
   “Although we have been through a very tough time, and I do not minimise the difficulties that have occurred—indeed, I will talk about more of those throughout the rest of my speech - we are now at a point where the economy is turning a corner and wages are now growing at a rate faster than that of inflation.”
   
   Hansard, 1 February 2024,https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-02-01/debates/97d89a72-c854-4b03-8650-13c40d52f9f9/WestminsterHall

9. Laura Trottagain told Sky News that the economy is turning a corner:
   
   “The economy is turning a corner.”
   
   Sky News, 5:07-5:09, 7 February 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH4T3K1vwFs

10. Penny Mordaunt told the House of Commons that the economy has turned a corner:

“We have learned that thanks to the graft and grit of the British people and businesses, our economy has turned a corner.”

Hansard, 8 February 2024, https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2024-02-08/debates/DF967E8A-6CD4-4447-80EC-A4A5DFFF9FFE/BusinessOfTheHouse?highlight=%22a%20corner%22#contribution-183E3267-241C-4E69-A50B-48A3219559AC

11. Rishi Sunaksaid things are “pointing in the right direction”:
    
    “At the start of this year, we are really pointing in the right direction – the plans that we’ve put in place are working.”
    
    ITV, 0:15-0:20, 9 February 2024, https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics/status/1755920065847849214/video/1

12. Rishi Sunaksaid he “really believes” that the economy has turned a corner:
    
    “I really believe the economy has turned a corner.”
    
    ITV, 12 February 2024, https://twitter.com/ITVNewsPolitics/status/1757035860522930528