Tories ‘deliberately covered up’ true state of public finances, says minister

Steve Reed hits out at Conservatives' handling of public services as chancellor prepares to detail 20bn black hole'

The last Conservative government deliberately covered up" the true state of public finances, a cabinet minister has said, as the chancellor prepares to detail a 20bn black hole" in the public finances.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, said his cabinet colleagues always knew" the inheritance from the Tories was going to be bad", but that since coming to office they had found additional pressures" that had not been disclosed.