Reeves: I’ll put back 45p tax on wealthiest
THE Tory tax cut for the richest will be reversed by Labour to fund a massive expansion of the NHS workforce.
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves vowed to bring back the 45p top income tax rate, which Kwasi Kwarteng axed in his miniBudget on Friday.
The measure impacts about 600,000 of the wealthiest people, who would each benefit by an estimated £10,000 a year.
In a speech to conference yesterday, Ms Reeves said the NHS was “on its knees” and Labour would ask those with the broadest shoulders to step up.
She added:
“Our priority is not tax cuts for the wealthiest few.
“It is securing our public finances and investing in public services.
“I can tell you, with a Labour Government, those at the top will pay their fair share.”
Members cheered as she declared: “The 45p top rate of income tax is coming back.”
Labour plans to double the number of medical school places from 7,500 to 15,000 to bolster doctors’ numbers.
It also vows to double the number of district nurses qualifying every year, train 5,000 more health visitors, and create an additional 10,000 nursing and midwifery clinical placements every year.
Ms Reeves said she would order a review of the minimum wage on her first day in No11.
And she vowed to be the first “Green Chancellor”, insisting fracking wouldn’t happen under Labour and setting out plans for a National Wealth Fund, a statebacked investment plan to pour cash into renewable energy projects and infrastructure.
In a swipe at the Tories, she said: “That is a real plan for the climate. That is a real plan for growth. And that is a real plan for levelling up.”
TUC chief Frances O’Grady welcomed the speech, saying: “We need a Government that’s on the side of working people.
“The policies Rachel Reeves set out today can help deliver a real pay rise for everyone – and are a stark contrast to the Conservatives’ tax cuts for the super-rich.”
Unison General Secretary Christina McAnea said: “The need for a proper plan to increase the number of key workers in health and care is something the current Government seems unable to grasp. Labour gets it and the need for a green future that’s made in Britain.”