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Susanna Reid has been lauded for going all-in against Home Secretary Suella Braverman over police cuts.
The Conservative politician appeared on Wednesday’s Good Morning Britain where she was interviewed by Reid and Ed Balls ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s planned announcement that 20,000 offiers have been recruited since 2019.
However a similar number has reportedly been cut from the force by Tory-led administrations since they came into power in 2010 – something that was repeatedly pointed out by Reid during Wednesday’s interview.
As Braverman declared that the government ‘will have surpassed’ the highest number of police officers ever ‘if we reach our target,’ Reid repeatedly asked if she would ‘acknowledge’ that around 20,000 police were cut by Tory-led administrations over the last decade.
Reid constantly dodged the question, instead saying: ‘What I do acknowledge is, if we reach our target, we will have surpassed our highest-ever numbers.’
It was a complete stalemate, with Reid continuously pushing for Braverman to acknowledge the police cuts, and Braverman responding simply by saying she wanted to acknowledge they would have a record number if they reached their targets.
‘It’s very useful to use record number as a phrase, isn’t it?’ Reid said, exasperated, before asking: ‘If there were 142,000 police officers when you came to government, how many more will there be when you make an announcement this morning?’
Braverman dodged questions on whether she would acknowledge Tory-led administrations cutting police figures since 2010 (Picture: AP)
Reid and Balls appeared incredulous during the segment (Picture: ITV)
After being asked multiple times if she would acknowledge the cuts before celebrating the new numbers, Braverman quipped: ‘I think that’s the fourth time you’ve asked the question, Susanna.’
To which co-host Balls replied: ‘The reason she’s asking four times is because four times you refused to answer it.’
The fiery segment had a serious reaction on social media, with viewers declaring Reid was ‘wiping the floor’ with the Home Secretary.
‘Susanna Reid, doing the maths for Suella Braverman… hope you’re watching Rishi,’ another wrote.
And as one impressed viewer put it: ‘Watching [Reid] tie [Braverman] up in knots about policing on @GMB is hilarious.’
It comes as the PM is due to announce that the government has recruited 20,000 police officers since 2019, something pledged by the Tories, then led by Boris Johnson, before the 2019 election.
In a statement this week, Sunak said: ‘When I stood at the steps of Downing Street six months ago, I made clear that I would do whatever it takes to cut crime and make our communities safer.
‘At the heart of that pledge is recruiting 20,000 additional police officers.
The PM is expected to make an announcement on police figures today (Picture: SopaImages/Shutterstock)
‘We await the final statistics expected today but, as I have previously set out, I am confident we are on the cusp of meeting that promise.
‘This would be a significant moment, meaning we have more police officers in England and Wales than ever before.’
Reid previously ripped into then-Minister for Crime and Policing Kit Malthouse in 2021, saying it was ‘completely disingenuous to call these numbers growth because you have cut 20,000 police officers since 2010, since the Conservative party have been in government – so we are not anywhere near replacing that number of officers.’
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In 2019, it was reported that 23,500 police staff jobs have been lost in England and Wales since 2010, according to figures from the union for police staff.
The same year, the Conservative Party pledged to put 20,000 more police on the streets.
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‘The reason she’s asking four times is because four times you refused to answer it.’