Boris Johnson has compared the way he dealt with the Covid pandemic to Conservative Party heavyweight Margaret Thatcher in an exclusive interview with GB News.
The Prime Minister discussed the current cost-of-living crisis with Esther McVey and Philip Davies, and how to get the country out of it.
The PM praised Chancellor Rishi Sunak's Spring Statement and raising the tax threshold, describing it as the biggest tax cut in Britain for 10 years.
But Mr Johnson blankly refused to make more tax cuts and borrow more money, stating funds were needed for services like the NHS.
Boris Johnson
GB News
He then likened the way the Government dealt with the post-Covid situation to Thatcherite policy.
He told us: "Don't forget in times of difficulty Mrs Thatcher had state spending running very, very high as a proportion of GDP because of the economic difficulties the country was in.
"So something like Covid I think she would have dealt with in exactly the same way."
It comes as opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer told hard-pressed voters to send a message to the Government over the rising cost of living as he launched his party’s local election campaign today.
The Labour leader kicked off his campaign trail in a Red Wall marginal, the Bury North constituency where Tory James Daly is MP.
The Prime Minister compared himself to Margaret Thatcher
GB News
Sir Keir highlighted voters’ worries over paying bills, job security and crime.
He said the Government’s response to rising gas and electricity bills was “pathetic” and again called for a windfall tax on energy companies.
But Mr Johnson refuted claims the Government should borrow more, stating we need to keep a "tight grip" on our finances.
He added: "What she [Margaret Thatcher] would not have done, is said we've got to borrow more.
"There are some people that say we should just borrow more and risk interest rates going up and run that risk.
"We're already spending £83billion a year servicing our debts, that's crazy, we've got to keep a tight grip on it.
"We've already cut taxes very considerably but we need to make sure we invest in our NHS at the same time.
"The cost of living crisis is best fixed by tackling the immediate problems people are facing, the cost of fuel, helping people with their heating cost, but also making people have high wage high skilled jobs.
"That in the end is what the Thatcher Revolution delivered and she turned Britain around from being a place where there was habitually high levels of unemployment to a place where people knew that going to work is the better option. That is what we want to see."