Hunt is hitting voters ‘hardest in his backyard’

JEREMY HUNT’S constituency will be one of the hardest hit by stealth taxes “clobbering” the middle classes, analysis has found.

The Chancellor’s seat of South West Surrey is among the Blue Wall seats that will probably see the largest numbers of residents dragged into the higher rate of income tax.

Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister, is estimated to have the biggest number of constituents pulled into the higher rate in his marginal seat of Esher and Walton, also in Surrey.

In last year’s Autumn Statement, Mr Hunt froze income tax thresholds until the 2027-28 tax year. The threshold for the higher rate of income tax over which workers pay 40 per cent has been frozen at £50,271. According to analysis by the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Lib Dems, across England 1.5million people are due to be drawn into paying income tax in 2023-24, with a further 1.2million pulled into paying the higher rate of 40 per cent.

Across the regions, 240,000 are set to be dragged into the higher rate in the South East, and 230,000 in London. The North West is third in the list, with 170,000 due to be brought into the rate, followed by 140,000 in the East of England and 120,000 in the South West. Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Lib Dems, said: “Jeremy Hunt is clobbering the hard working middle with a stealth tax raid at a time many are feeling the pinch, including in his own backyard.”

A Treasury spokesman said: “After borrowing £400billion to support the economy during the pandemic and since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, it’s vital we stick to our plan to halve inflation this year and reduce debt.”