Labour MP James Murray has doubled down on Labour manifesto pledge to protect working people as he promised to “protect them” ahead of Rachel Reeves’ looming budget.
There has been concern over how the Government defines the term, and at which point a person’s wealth means they are not covered by the manifesto pledge.
Speaking to GB News, Murray said: “I think what the Prime Minister has made very clear on, and we’ve all been very clear on, is that working people are people who go out to work, and that’s how they earn their income.
“What we said in our manifesto, and it’s a commitment that we’re keeping in Government, is to protect working people through not increasing the rates of income tax, national Insurance and VAT.
James Murray defined Labour’s definition of “working people”
GB News
“Now, it’s going to be a difficult budget. It is going to be a difficult budget with difficult decisions when it comes to taxation, welfare and spending.
“I want to be really clear that the reason why we need to make those difficult decisions now is to get the public finances back on a firm footing so that we can get investment up and pursue that price of growth, because growth is the way that we make people across the country better off.”
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He added: “I think the definition of working people is a wide one. People who go out to work and that’s how they earn their income.
“I think what we’re very clear on is that we want to protect working people by not increasing the rates of income tax, National Insurance and VAT.
“You’ve got to remember the reason why we made that commitment going into the last election. And the reason why is because we’d had 14 years of the Conservatives where people had really felt the squeeze.
“That’s why that commitment in the manifesto earlier this year was so important. That’s why it’s so important for us now in Government, notwithstanding the fact there are going to be difficult decisions when it comes to taxation, welfare and spending, we are standing by our commitment to protecting working people.”
Rachel Reeves will deliver the Budget on October 30 PA
GB News host Stephen Dixon pointed out that it’s a “very narrow view”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her budget to the House of Commons next week, ahead of warnings that British people could face huge tax hikes.
Reeves is expected to impose the biggest tax hikes in three decades raising around £35billion extra to take the burden on the public to a record high.
In an interview with Sky News at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, the Prime Minister said a working person is somebody who “goes out and earns their living, usually paid in a sort of monthly ‘cheque’ but they did not have the ability to ‘write a cheque to get out of difficulties’.”
Stephen Dixon said his view is very narrow
GB News
Starmer has said the Budget will aim to “fix the foundations” and “rebuild” the country as he insisted that the “£22billion black hole” is “for real” and not “performative”.
“It’s for real and we’ve got to deal with it and I don’t think we are wrong to be honest about that and we have also been clear this is a budget about rebuilding the country and therefore it will also spell out the direction of travel for the country and what we want to do with it.
“We’ve got to get both bits of that right.”