'Frankly, things will get worse before we get better'

The Prime Minister is set to warn that Britain will 'get worse before it gets better' in his first major speech since taking office.

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to use the speech on Tuesday to ramp up attacks on the inheritance left by the Conservatives.

He will say: “We have inherited not just an economic black hole but a societal black hole. And that is why we have to take action and do things differently. Part of that is being honest with people – about the choices we face. And how tough this will be. Frankly – things will get worse before we get better.”

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Since coming to power in July, Labour has sought to emphasise the challenges it faces in government and pile blame on the Conservatives for failing to address those problems prior to the election. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, began that theme in her statement before the summer recess in a statement accusing the Tories of leaving a £22 billion black hole in this year’s budget.

Sir Keir is expected to develop that line of attack further on Tuesday, saying things are “worse than we ever imagined”.

He will say: “In the first few weeks, we discovered a £22 billion black hole in the public finances. And don’t let anyone say that this is performative, or playing politics. The OBR did not know about this. They wrote a letter saying so. They didn’t know – because the last government hid it.”

But he will also address the condition of the wider public sector, saying those taking part in the recent riots had been able to exploit “the cracks in our society after 14 years of populism and failure”, including a lack of prison places.

One of Labour’s first acts in government was to reduce the