One day you’ll be ill: Corbyn’s tax warning to middle classes

JEREMY CORBYN has raised the prospect of tax increases for the middle classes to help fund public services by warning: “One day you will be ill. You’ll need the NHS.”

The Labour leader said there was a “moral imperative” on people to pay their “fair share” of tax as he stressed the importance of a well-resourced health service.

The party pledged in its 2017 general election manifesto to increase the amount of tax paid by workers earning £80,000 or more. But Mr Corbyn’s latest comments are likely to prompt concerns that the party could go even further if Labour does win power.

He told the Sunday Mirror: “I do say to the middle classes and the well-off, one day you will be ill. You’ll need the NHS. 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.”

At the last election, Labour guaranteed it would not rise income tax for those earning below £80,000 a year. However, the party’s proposals would mean tax rises for 1.2million people.

Mr Corbyn said “we must all pay our fair share” as he reiterated Labour’s pledge to raise tax “at the top end” to fund public services.

He added: “The blunt point I would make to the very wealthy who think it is clever to avoid taxation is, what happens if your house catches fire and who pays for the fire engine?”