Sir Keir Starmer admitted that things are "worse than we ever imagined" as he warned of the government’s forthcoming Budget in his first key speech as prime minister on Tuesday, 27 August. The PM said his warning came due to a £22bn “black hole” in public finances, claiming to have found out last week that the Conservatives had borrowed almost £5bn more than the Office for Budget Responsibility expected. Sir Keir also defended his decisions to release some prisoners early and means-test the pensioners’ winter fuel allowance as “tough actions” are needed to fix the country’s foundations.