PM ‘wobbling’ over tax rises as premiership hangs in balance
National Insurance hike ‘could be delayed for year’
PRIME MINISTER Boris Johnson is apparently wavering on implementing controversial tax rises, as the future of his premiership still hangs in the balance over the events held in Westminster during lockdowns.
National Insurance contributions (NICs) are due to rise in April to pay for the Health and Social Care Levy, designed to help the NHS clear the pandemic backlog.
But a number of Conservative MPs have raised concerns about the taxes coming in when the cost of living is soaring, and Mr Johnson is said to be considering delaying the increase in an attempt to keep colleagues on side.
The cost of living crisis is at the forefront of people’s minds in Yorkshire, with members of a focus group in Leeds earlier this week keen to talk on this issue over anything else.
Yesterday, The Times newspaper cited a Government source as saying Mr Johnson is “wobbling” over the NICs rise, suggesting he is considering delaying the policy for 12 months to appease critics on the right of the party.
Speaking on a visit to Glasgow yesterday, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The Prime Minister needs to act on this.
“We’ve got a very serious issue here, with everybody facing prices going up – whether that’s fuel, energy bills at home, inflation going up to something like six per cent the worst it’s been since the John Major years.
“And at that very moment, Boris Johnson and his Government want to impose a tax hike on people in April.”
They are seeing prices rising for everything they need to survive. Jonathan Harty, campaigns manager at 38 Degrees.
However, Downing Street have said that Mr Johnson, and Chancellor Rishi Sunak, are “fully committed” to bringing in the increase in April.
A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “We’ve spoken before about why we are doing that – in order to give the NHS the funds it needs to tackle the backlog that has built up, as well as tackling the long-term issue of social care.”
Questions about whether the 1.25 percentage point rise in National Insurance will go ahead were fuelled by Mr Johnson’s refusal this week to offer a cast-iron guarantee on the rise.
The increasing cost of living was a major topic at a focus group in Leeds this week, with participants citing concerns such as gas bills and childcare as a worrying pinch on their pockets.
The focus group, which was hosted by JL and Partners on Thursday on behalf of the not-forprofit political campaign group, 38 Degrees, saw six participants also suggest petrol costs and the possibility of looming NHS redundancies over vaccine mandates are an issue.
The campaigns manager at 38 Degrees, Jonathan Harty, said: “We heard from people whose lives are being constrained as a result of the cost of living skyrocketing. They are seeing prices rising for everything they need to survive.
“From energy and fuel to going out for dinner with friends, everything is going up. They’re feeling trapped.”