Rachel Reeves has been branded the “Copy and Paste Chancellor” after brazenly announcing a major Tory transport spending package as though it were a bold new Labour initiative.
In a Treasury press release that positively shouted its own importance, Reeves was heralded for “more than doubling investment in local transport in England’s city regions,” declaring it “the biggest ever investment over the next five years.”
But behind the headlines, the figures tell a different story – one of reheated Conservative policy repackaged and passed off as fresh Labour thinking.
Speaking during a regional tour ahead of the Government’s upcoming Spending Review, Reeves struck an earnest tone: “A Britain that is better off cannot rely on a handful of places forging ahead of the rest of the country.” She claimed her plans would address regional inequalities and spread growth more evenly across the country.
But there’s just one problem: the money she’s promising has already been announced – under the Conservatives. Much of the £15.6 billion Reeves claims is new funding comes directly from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements 2scheme, unveiled by the Tories in 2023.
Conservative Shadow Minister Robert Jenrick said: “Rachel Reeves really is the copy and paste Chancellor.”
One insider put it bluntly: “This funding’s been sitting on Gov.UK for 18 months. Labour got elected, put it on ice, and now they’re thawing it out – acting like it’s their brainchild. It’s PR, not policy.”
Indeed, a quick side-by-side comparison reveals the truth:
| Region | Under Tories (2023) | Under Reeves (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Greater Manchester | £2.474bn | £2.474bn |
| Liverpool | £1.581bn | £1.581bn |
| South Yorkshire | £1.455bn | £1.455bn |
| West Yorkshire | £2.115bn | £2.115bn |
| Tees Valley | £978m | £978m |
Nothing new. No increases. No added vision, just the same figures with Labour pretending they come up with them.
Labour MPs, especially those in marginal seats, are growing increasingly nervous. One senior backbencher muttered: “We promised a decade of national renewal. This is barely a month of recycled headlines.”
And that’s the crux of it. As “Rachel from accounts” tours the country, clutching a red folder full of Tory blueprints, the public – and Parliament – are starting to notice. If Reeves wants to be seen as a serious Chancellor, she may need to start writing her own plans, not copying someone else’s homework.
For now, this looks like a government running on autopilot – with no ideas.
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