Sunak won’t rule out tax increases
Coronation Street legend Johnny dies
RISHI SUNAK has indicated he will extend emergency support packages as the coronavirus lockdown is unwound, and did not rule out first raising taxes before cutting them ahead of the next election.
The Chancellor insisted ahead of Wednesday’s Budget that he is in favour of low taxes but said he needs to repair the public finances from the “enormous shock” of the pandemic with an “honest and fair” plan.
He said he does not “recognise” suggestions he told MPs in private that he would raise taxes now before cutting them in a pre-election Budget and said it would be “brave” to predict the situation in three years’ time.
But he declined to rule out the possible plan, leading to Labour accusing him of “playing politics with the recovery”.
Mr Sunak said he must “level with people”, with Covid having had an “enormous hold on our economy” that will cause debt to “rise indefinitely” if borrowing continues after the recovery.
But he suggested current support packages for jobs and businesses, such as the furlough scheme due to expire at the end of April, would continue as England comes out of the national lockdown in the coming months.
He said he wants to “support people and businesses along that path” to ending restrictions steadily until June 21, as set out by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
“We went big, we went early and there’s more to come next week,” Mr Sunak told Sky’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday.
The Chancellor was pressed on whether he had told Conservative MPs in private that he would seek to raise taxes now and then cut them before the election.
“I think in the short term what we need to do is protect the economy and keep supporting the economy through the road
CORONATION Street star Johnny
Briggs, famous for his role as ladies’ man Mike Baldwin, has died aged 85.
The actor was a fixture on the cobbles, making his name as the Cockney businessman, for 30 years and becoming one of the ITV soap’s most memorable characters.
A statement from his family said Briggs died peacefully after a long illness.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our father, Johnny Briggs,” the statement said.
“He passed away peacefully this morning after a long illness, with family by his side. He was 85.
“We politely ask for privacy at this time, so that we can quietly grieve as a family and remember the wonderful times we had with him.”
The Coronation Street Twitter account paid tribute, saying the Baldwin character was “one of the most iconic the Street has ever known”.
His storylines included an affair, in the early 1980s, that gripped the nation.
Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride) and Mike had an illicit relationship two years into her marriage to Ken Barlow (William Roache), but she decided to stay with her husband. map, and over time what we need to do is make sure our public finances are sustainable,” Mr Sunak said.
“That isn’t going to happen overnight, that’s going to be work that takes time given the scale of the shock that we’ve experienced but if you’re asking do I want to deliver low taxes for people, of course I do.”
But, after a break, he altered his response to the BBC when asked again about the remarks he was reported to have said by the Sunday Times.
“No, I don’t recognise that, and I think anyone given the shock we’ve had over the last year and the economic uncertainty we face, it would be brave for people to know exactly what was going to happen in three years,” he told The Andrew Marr Show.
Treasury sources did not deny a report in the newspaper suggesting the Chancellor plans to raise £6 billion by freezing income tax thresholds for at least three years.
He was said to be considering a freeze on the £12,500 point at which people start paying the basic rate of income tax and the £50,000 threshold where they begin paying the higher 40p rate, as he aims to raise £43 billion a year.