Labour rift over Budget tax plans

SIR Keir Starmer will be guilty of a ‘ shameful betrayal’ of Labour values if he forces his MPs to vote against Tory tax rises in Wedneday’s Budget, it was claimed last night.

Left-wing MP Jon Trickett launched the scathing attack after his party leader declared that this was not the time to increase the burden on families and businesses.

The Yorkshire MP, a frontbencher under ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn, said: ‘ Voting against tax rises on some of our largest companies would be a shameful betrayal of Labour’s time-honoured principles.

‘At a time when so many key workers are having a wage freeze, it is entirely right to increase taxes on large companies, especially as some of them have made profits out of the pandemic. Opposing it would be something that hardpressed communities in the North would not understand.’

Sir Keir’s remarks last week sparked a bitter row, with claims that even Shadow Cabinet members believed he had blundered. But others have said privately that he is determined to shake off the party’s old tax-and-spend reputation.

There is increasing disquiet among some Labour MPs at Sir Keir’s failure to dent Tory opinion poll leads despite mistakes handling the pandemic.

Allies of Sir Keir dismissed Mr Trickett’s ‘betrayal’ claims last night and said the leader would be buoyed by the victory of Corbyn critic Anas Sarwar in yesterday Scottish Labour leadership contest.

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