Why Labour and Tories won’t talk about the biggest crises facing Britain

An unofficial truce between the Tories and Labour exists on several intractable problems that it suits both to file under ‘too difficult’. But, says Andrew Grice, dodging discussion on social care, defence spending and university funding – among many other topics – will be seen as cowardice by the electorate

Don’t mention the blueprint: ‘Labour has a plan to rebuild Britain – but doesn’t want the Tories to put a price tag on it’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Jeremy Hunt has just stolen half the extra money we would raise,” one Labour adviser told me gloomily after the chancellor filched the opposition’s plan to end non-domicile tax status and put the £2.7bn a year raised towards cutting national insurance.

At other times, Labour would have opposed the tax cut as unaffordable, arguing the non-dom revenue would be better spent as Labour envisaged – for example, providing breakfast clubs in every primary school and tackling NHS backlogs. (Labour insiders tell me Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is confident she can stick to these pledges – probably by closing other tax loopholes or ending “wasteful” spending).

Labour will not oppose the national insurance cut, on the grounds that is exactly what Hunt and Rishi Sunak would like it to do. The chancellor’s move was an elephant trap that could be seen from outer space; Labour was always going to sidestep it. Why give any legitimacy to Tory claims that “we cut taxes, Labour raises them”?