'You're Gaslighting Voters': Victoria Derbyshire Roasts Top Tory Over His Party's Record In Office

Victoria Derbyshire and Gareth DaviesVictoria Derbyshire accused a Tory frontbencher of “gaslighting the voters” after the party vowed to solve all the problems that got worse when they were in power.The BBC Newsnight presenter came armed with receipts as she grilled shadow chief secretary Gareth Davies.At the Conservative conference in Manchester, the party has pledged to cut the size of the civil service, cut billions from the benefits bill and end the use of taxpayer-funded hotels by asylum seekers.Derbyshire told Davies: “The civil service headcount increased by 22% on your watch, working age disability benefits increased by 50%, disability benefits for anxiety and depression doubled on your watch.“The number of working age adults on workless benefits jumped by a million on your watch, the number of asylum seekers in government-funded accommodation doubled on your watch.“It sounds like you’re gaslighting the voters.”Davies replied: “I’m sorry you think that. I think context is important. What we had to deal with in government wasn’t an easy ride at times, we did have a once in a century pandemic, which pushed up the amount of money that we had to borrow to support businesses and families.”But Derbyshire told him: “Most of those things I just listed started going up before 2020.”The shadow minister insisted they had “ballooned” once the pandemic kicked in that year.“We don’t talk enough about the impact that Covid did have and I think it is important to haver context,” he said.Q: “It sounds like you’re gaslighting the voters?”A: “I’m sorry you think that.”Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury Gareth Davies says the last Conservative government didn’t have an easy ride at times & there's not enough talk about the effects of Covid.#Newsnightpic.twitter.com/FukBIEGFIB— BBC Newsnight (@BBCNewsnight) October 6, 2025Related...'How Is That Fair?': Victoria Derbyshire Confronts Wes Streeting Over Labour's 'Two-Tier' Welfare PlanVictoria Derbyshire Skewers Senior Tory Who Won't Say Sorry For Liz TrussVictoria Derbyshire Trolls Richard Holden Over Business Support For UK-EU Deal: 'Are They All Wrong?'

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