Labour’s Reeves: I promise not to hike income tax
LABOUR yesterday promised it would not increase income tax or National Insurance if it wins the General election.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she wanted taxes on working people to be lower as she pledged not to hike either levy.
But she could not rule out cuts to public spending – and refused to give a timeline on when Labour would match the t ory promise to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
Ms Reeves said she would not put forward ‘unfunded propos - als’, but insisted there was ‘not going to be a return to auster - ity’. the Shadow Chancellor told the BBC’s Laura K uenssberg: ‘I don’t want to make any cuts to public spending which is why we’ve announced the immediate injection of cash into public services.
‘So that money for our NHS, the additional police – 13,000 additional police and community officers – and the 6,500 additional teachers in our schools, they are all fully costed and fully funded promises, because unless things are fully costed and fully funded, frankly, you can’t believe they’re going to happen.’
After being pressed repeatedly on her tax plans, Ms Reeves, for the first time, said: ‘What I want and K eir [Starmer] wants is taxes on working people to be lower, and we certainly won’t be
‘No timetable on defence spend’
increasing income tax or National Insurance if we win at the election.’
echoing a piece she wrote for Saturday’s Daily Mail, she added: ‘We opposed the increases to National Insurance when Rishi Sunak put those forward as Chancellor. We would like taxes on working people to be lower but unlike the Conservatives, who have already racked up £64billion of unfunded tax cuts in just three days of this campaign, I will never play fast and loose with the public finances, I will never put forward unfunded proposals.’
Asked when Labour would increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP, Ms Reeves said: ‘We’re not going to put a timetable on that.’
Veterans’ minister Johnny Mercer said: ‘In an increasingly uncertain world, Labour have a choice whether to back our plans to increase defence spending to 2.5 per cent. Not only have Labour rowed back on this commitment, one of their flag - ship policies, they have dropped the 2030 timeline for this pledge.
‘the choice is clear: a clear and bold plan to cut taxes while also delivering a plan to make the UK the largest defence power in europe to protect our national security under Rishi Sunak . Or going back to square one with the same old Labour Party, who will hit hardworking families with punitive tax rises and never put our national security first.’
At the weekend, Mr Sunak said voters would be left ‘at risk’ with Sir Keir because Britain ’s ene - mies would notice that he ‘doesn’t have a plan’.