Corbyn warns he’ll clobber the middle class on tax to pay for public services

THE middle classes should be prepared to pay higher taxes under Labour, Jeremy Corbyn suggested.

The Opposition leader said everyone should pay their ‘fair share’, calling taxation a ‘moral imperative’.

But he argued both the middle classes and the well- off should pay for betterfunded public services.

It came as Mr Corbyn used his New Year message to claim Labour represented ‘a new centre ground’ in British politics. He said that following last year’s General Election the party was a ‘government in waiting’, getting closer to power.

In an interview Mr Corbyn gave his strongest suggestion yet that Labour in power would hammer the middle classes.

His comments were in contrast to an attempt during his election campaign and over recent months to reassure voters that only the richest would pay more.

‘I do say to the middle classes and the well- off, one day you will be ill – you’ll need the NHS,’ he told The Sunday Mirror. ‘And your kids may not be able to buy a house. They’re not going to get a council place because they’re not in desperate need. Think about it. Are we a society that houses everybody? Or are we going to be a society that is the lowest paid, worst housed, most indebted country in Europe? Because that’s where we’re heading at the moment.’

He added: ‘ We must all pay our fair share. There’s a moral imperative … We will raise tax at the top end in order to invest for the rest of society. I want to lead a Labour government that will do that.’

He criticised ‘ systematic abuses of the system’ by international corporations, adding: ‘It is incredibly reprehensible to make vast sums then shift the profits elsewhere.’

SINCE losing her majority, it’s been received wisdom that Theresa May was too weak to sack any ministers, for fear they’d destabilise her by swelling the ranks of Tory rebels on the backbenches.

But now – bolstered by her successful Brexit talks, good poll ratings and buoyant economic figures – the Prime Minister is said to be planning a long-overdue reshuffle.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is believed to be earmarked for another key job, Boris Johnson may move from the Foreign Office to a new Brexit ‘ super- ministry’ and promising juniors, including Dominic Raab, are poised for promotion.

Such major changes would inject a burst of energy into Mrs May’s Government – which has shown signs of stagnating.

All Cabinets need to be reorganised periodically. It prevents complacency, removes those who aren’t up to the job, and promotes new talent. Most importantly, it shows who’s in charge. THE Mail welcomes security minister Ben Wallace’s tirade against internet giants, accusing them of being ‘ ruthless profiteers’ who endanger public safety by refusing to stamp out online extremism. We also applaud his proposal to hit them with a multi-million pound tax raid. Could 2018 be the year the Government finally stops merely talking about taking punitive action against irresponsible, tax-avoiding corporations such as Google and Facebook and actually does something? IN his risibly self-aggrandising ‘New Year message’, Jeremy Corbyn warns the middle classes that if he comes to power, they’ll be paying higher taxes to fund public services. He neglects to mention that they’d also be footing the bill for his ruinous renationalisation plan, splurge of borrowing and abolition of tuition fees. And when the economy collapsed – if they had any money left by then – they’d also be paying for a massive rise in unemployment benefits. Welcome to Jeremy’s ‘hope for a new Britain’.