FAMILIES face a £2,200-a-year tax bombshell if Sir Keir Starmer seizes power, a top Tory warns. They will be hit with the rise to pay for Labour’s £28billion green jobs plan, claims Conservative party chairman Richard Holden.
Investment Impossible Without Tax Hike
His intervention comes as battle lines are being drawn ahead of a general election in 2024 — with the Tories lagging 20 points behind in the opinion polls. Mr Holden says it will be impossible to invest billions without the equivalent of the basic rate of income tax going from 20 to 25 per cent.
The £2,200 figure is based on the average two-income household. He adds: "The only way it will be paid for is on the backs of the British people. And it is the equivalent to raising the basic rate of income tax from 20 to 25 per cent. And that could be a colossal impact."
But Labour earlier tonight vehemently denied his claims.
Tax Sweeteners Expected in Budget
Meanwhile, voters can expect more tax sweeteners in the Budget on March 6, following a National Insurance reduction which comes in on Saturday.
Mr Holden also launched a personal attack on the Labour leader, a ploy expected to be used heavily during the election campaign. He called Sir Keir a "shapeshifter", adding: "You’ve got a man who wouldn’t stand up to Jeremy Corbyn, but took the knee for every left-wing cause going."
Sir Keir was also on the receiving end of criticism from within Labour as he was accused of "being detached from his own party".
Labour MP John Cruddas says in his new book it is "difficult to identify the purpose of a future Starmer government".
The party said last night: "Under the Tories we have the highest tax burden since the Second World War. Working people can’t afford another five years of high bills, high mortgages and high taxes under the Tories."
