Question Time LIVE: Truss ally faces grilling as longest recession in 100 years looms

Labour MP Peter Kyle said: “We have to understand that the last 12 years has left such a lack of resilience in families and in households and in people, people’s finances.

“20 percent of people in the UK have no savings at all.”

Host Fiona Bruce questioned the shadow secretary of state over what the Labour Party would do in the current situation to help households and businesses across the UK.  

The MP replied: “The thing we have to do is stabilise the economy, that means having a plan which means all of our plans and policies are fully costed so the markets can see where the money is coming from and how we are going to pay.

“How will Labour solve the catastrophic hole in our finances caused by the Tory party?

“We will have to stabilise our economy and then move to a plan that grows it. We have both of those things.”

Mr Kyle noted that one of Labour’s plans would be to close a loophole in non-domicile status in order to feed hungry schoolchildren and to train more medical staff.

This example came after an audience member said: “I think the most vulnerable members of our society in this recession are children.

“There are already 800,000 children not eligible for free school meals but living in poverty in the UK, how will our society protect our most vulnerable members?”