No plan for more tax rises, Starmer tells BBC
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the BBC that his “plan” was not to raise taxes further before the next election, but said he could not rule it out if “unforeseen” circumstances arise.
The Prime Minister gave an interview to BBC Breakfast shortly after making six pledges, including a pledge to put more money into the pockets of working people.
Sir Keir said he knew some decisions “were not always popular” but voters could judge him at the next general election on whether they thought their living standards had improved.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenock dismissed the Prime Minister’s new pledge as showing Labor was not “ready for government”.
In addition to improving living standards, Other ‘milestones’ announced by Sir Keir in Thursday’s speech These include building 1.5 million new homes in England, ending the backlog in hospitals and increasing the proportion of children who start school “ready to learn” to 75%.
Labor rejected suggestions the new pledges were reworked after the first few months in power.
UK chancellor announces nearly £70bn increase in public spending Her first budget in October More than half of that will come from higher taxes, with businesses bearing the brunt.
Employers will increase the National Insurance contributions they pay on workers’ earnings, raising up to £25 billion a year for the government. Capital gains tax on share sales will also increase and inheritance tax thresholds will be frozen.
Leading business groups said the Budget would be a “tough” one for businesses, with then Conservative leader Rishi Sunak saying: “They’re going to tax you on everything you can think of” .
Despite the tax increase, the Office for Budget Responsibility said the package of economic measures would ultimately “keep GDP broadly unchanged over five years”.
At the time, the chancellor told the BBC that this was “not the kind of budget we want to repeat”.
On the possibility of further tax rises, Sir Keir Starmer said: “I don’t want to suggest that we will continue to increase taxes because that is not the plan.”
“What I can’t do is tell you that there are no unforeseen circumstances in the future that won’t cause any changes.
“If you look at COVID and Ukraine, everyone knows there are things we can’t see right now, but I can tell you our intention is to do some tough things in the budget and not keep coming back.”
Sir Keir gave an interview to the BBC after delivering a major speech on Thursday, in which he six commitments He said it would allow voters to hold his government accountable.
The targets cover the economy, house building, the NHS, policing, pre-schools and green energy.
Labor plans to meet these demands by 2029, when the next election is likely to be held.
BBC political editor Chris Mason comments on Sir Keir’s speech It feels like an election manifesto launch.
He said the government appeared to be trying to control the agenda after a rocky tenure in power.
Asked why he thought his approval ratings had fallen since the election, Sir Keir said he had chosen to make “tough decisions” at the start of his tenure as Prime Minister.
He said he knew the decisions were not always popular but were necessary to “turn around the country.”
“I just don’t want to bask in the warmth of empty promises like politicians have done in the past.
“I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and tell people this is going to be tough – we’re going to do this, but you’re going to be better off.”
“At the end of this term you’re going to have better health services, you’re going to have better homes, you’re going to have better energy bills and at the end of this parliament I will be judged, and rightly so. Delivered on the promise I said I would deliver.”
Responding to a question about when people would feel better, Sir Keir said this would be measured at the end of Parliament but he hoped people would “feel better immediately”.
he added Raise wages for minimum wage earners Meaning three million people’s lives have been changed for the better as a result of government action.
Writing in The Times, the Prime Minister further elaborated on his pledge to build 1.5 million new homes in England, saying he was ready arrive “Opening the Golden Age of Architecture”.
Sir Keir wrote: “Britain is mired in the worst housing crisis in living memory.” He blamed it on a planning system that he said was “urgently in need of decisive reform”.
“For too long, this country has been held to ransom by obstructionists and bureaucrats who stand in the way of nation-building.”
Following Sir Keir’s speech on Thursday, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch Said: “The Prime Minister’s emergency reset confirms that Labor, after 14 years in opposition, is still not ready to govern.
“There’s nothing concrete about immigration – because Labor has no plan to control numbers.”
The Prime Minister has said he wants to reduce immigration levels, but his six pledges include no measurable targets.
Sir Keir told BBC Breakfast that past attempts to put a “hard cap” on immigration numbers had not worked.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said his party would “hold this government to its promises, particularly to fix the NHS and the health service.”
“It is worrying that within these targets there is no clear plan to ensure people can see their GP when they need to.”
