Rachel Reeves slapped down London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan for suggesting there would be cuts in policing as a result of her spending review.
The Chancellor announced forces’ “spending power” – including extra cash raised from council tax – will rise by 2.3% a year in real terms, the equivalent of an additional £2 billion.
Sir Sadiq is concerned the Metropolitan Police could be left with insufficient funding and fewer police officers in a rare “red on red” clash with the Labour government.
But responding to suggestions from the newly knighted mayor that her spending plans would mean cuts to frontline police, Reeves told the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I really don’t accept there needs to be cuts when we’re actually increasing the money that the police force gets.
“The police have been allocated a budget and they now need to live within those budgets. I can’t say yes to every request that comes my way because I’ve got to make sure the sums add up. I don’t want to just keep borrowing and just keep taxing.”
Asked if the Labour mayor was wrong, she added: “If spending is going up by 2.3% above inflation, I do not accept the need for cuts.”
Sir Sadiq had said: “I’ve been determined to stand up for London.
“However, I remain concerned that this spending review could result in insufficient funding for the Met and fewer police officers.
“As mayor, I’ll continue to make the case to the government that we must work together for the benefit of our capital and the whole country.
“The way to level up other regions will never be to level down London. I’ll continue to fight for the investment we need so that we can continue building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone.”
Senior police chiefs wrote to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warning they will be forced to make choices about which crimes they investigate if the Government didn’t give them enough money.
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley predicted cuts to police budgets will have “far-reaching consequences”.
He also voiced his concern that fewer criminals serving jail time under proposals to end prison overcrowding will “generate a lot of work for police”.
Tiff Lynch, acting chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said on Wednesday: “This spending review should have been a turning point after 15 years of austerity that has left policing - and police officers - broken.
“Instead, the cuts will continue and it’s the public who will pay the price.
“Police pay has fallen by over 20% in real terms since 2010.
“The number of crimes allocated to each officer has jumped by a third in a decade.
“We will lose 10,000 experienced officers a year to resignation by the end of this spending review period - driven out by poor pay and unacceptable working conditions.
“This Chancellor hasn’t listened to police officers. She hasn’t listened to the Home Secretary. She hasn’t listened to the public’s concerns about community safety.”
Nick Smart, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association, claimed the funding announcement was a “huge blow to the police service, which has once again been placed at the bottom of the Government’s list of priorities”.
He said: “Our people are working in outdated buildings with woefully inadequate IT infrastructure, which is years behind the technical capability of many of the organized crime groups we now face.
“Officers in every area are overworked and stretched to breaking point, and both new and experienced officers are leaving in numbers that are higher than we have ever seen.
“The UK police workforce is one of the most committed, professional, and dedicated teams of people you will ever meet, but they cannot do everything with nothing.”
