Independent MP Karl Turner has said he thinks Darren Jones was correct about the funding for the cut in VAT but the money will have to be found to pay for it.
Speaking on GB News he said: “I’m expecting that imminently; I’m like a coiled spring, excitedly desperate to get the whip back.
“There are a lot of junior ministers, many of whom were very supportive of Keir Starmer, and as far as I understand it, some of those people will keep the job.
“But for me, I’ve always been a fan of people being appointed on the basis that they’re capable of doing the job. Some of those cabinet ministers who went yesterday are people who I didn’t think were capable of doing the job.
“Some, though, I accept, were very good at what they were doing. You might disagree with the politics, but they were capable ministers. And I think it’s true that some of them have gone as a result of their loyalty to Keir Starmer and not Andy Burnham. That’s just a matter of fact.
“I’m not sure what the scenario with Darren Jones was. I suspect that he was spoken to directly by the Prime Minister Andy Burnham. They would have had a discussion, I don’t know.
“He might have been offered something as an alternative. I suspect not, if I’m being honest with you. But there’s a possibility of all of that, and we don’t know the detail.
“But I do think that the prime minister who comes in has to choose their own cabinet and then indeed their own ministers in order to get on with governing. And I just hope that it goes smoothly.
“Because whatever political party you’re in, we’re all patriots. We all want the government to succeed. We may not agree. I didn’t agree for 14 years with the Tory policies. Most of them. Some of them, by the way, I did agree with, but the very vast majority I didn’t agree with.
“But we always, I think, want our governments to succeed because the country succeeds. Of course, we can grumble and complain about why we could do it better in constituencies when we’re campaigning and speaking with constituents, but we do, genuinely, I think, want the country to do well and prosper.
“Unfortunately, we’re not prospering at all very well at the moment. The economy is flatlining, and this government, with Andy Burnham at the helm of it, has got to get a grip and do that fast.
“Otherwise, I’m afraid to say, I don’t think the Conservatives nor Labour will govern again for a long time.
“I had an email from a constituent today saying [the removal of VAT on electricity] is not going to pay for the milk bill, Mr Turner. What on earth is this? It’s not an offer of anything, and I get that.
“But I think it shows the direction of travel. I think he came in, he said he was going to deal with the cost of living. Let’s be honest, though, it’s a terribly difficult thing to deal with.
“The economy is not doing well, and there is no money. So whatever prime minister of any political party is genuinely up against it, but I think the sort of quick decision to take the VAT – and this very definitely is one of those sort of Brexit benefits.
“Because without leaving the EU, which I was definitely not a fan of, we could never have done this policy. But that is something we’ve done. It doesn’t give people much money in their pockets, but I think it shows the commitment from this new prime minister of repositioning policies using the resource that’s already been committed.
“And I know what Darren Jones has said; he’s probably right about that, by the way. But the money is going to have to be found now in order to pay for this commitment.
“I think it shows the direction of travel, which is positive for me. People are struggling.”