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Starmer replied:
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\n
We were very clear the manifesto that we wouldn’t be increasing tax on working people. We expressly said that that was income tax, that was NICs [national insurance contributions] We have clearly stated this in our manifesto.
\n
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Asked again if he was referring to employee-only NICs, Starmer continued:
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\n
It was very clear from the manifesto that what we were saying was that we would not raise taxes for working people. It wasn't just the manifesto. As we have repeatedly said during the election campaign, we intend to keep the promises we made in our manifesto.
\n
Therefore, I do not intend to reveal the details of the budget. You know that's not possible at this stage. What I would like to say is that we will continue to keep the promises we made in our manifesto.
\n
Of course, this will be a tough budget, but the focus will be on rebuilding our country and ensuring the growth our economy needs.
\n
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Starmer interviewed by the BBC's Henry Zeffman in Downing Street this morning.”,”caption”:”Interviewed by the BBC's Henry Zeffman in Downing Street this morning. Keir Starmer at the reception. blockCreatedOn”:1728978731000,” blockCreatedOnDisplay”:”03.52 EDT”,”blockLastUpdated”:1728979972000,”blockLastUpdatedDisplay”:”04.12 EDT”,”blockFirstPublished”:1728979927000,”blockFirstPublishedDisplay”:”04. 12 EDT”,”blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone”:”04.12 “,”title”: “What Starmer said about Labor not promising not to raise employer national insurance”, “Contributor”:[],”primaryDateLine”:”Tuesday 15 October 2024 04.12 EDT”,”SecondaryDateLine”:”First published Tuesday 15 October 2024 03.24 EDT”},{“id”:”670e1bad8f089de54f7c7d07″,”elements”:[{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”
Q: Did the manifesto rule out increasing any rate of national insurance? Or was it just employees’ national insurance?
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Starmer claims it was “very clear” in the manifesto that Labour would not raise taxes on working people. He says Labour will be keeping those promises.
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But he says he will not discuss what is in the manifesto.
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This is consistent with that Rachel Reeves said yesterday about employers’ national insurance not being covered, although Reeves was more explicit.
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Good morning. Conventional wisdom (often citing George Bush, and his “Read my lips, no new taxes” pledge) says that it is fatal for politicians to break election promises. In reality, that is not always the case. David Cameron never came close to meeting his 2010 commitment to get net migration below 100,000, and that did not stop him being re-elected in 2015 (although it did help him lose the 2016 Brexit referendum). There were many reasons why Boris Johnson was forced out of office, but raising national insurance in breach of a 2019 manifesto promise is not usually seen as one of his career-ending mistakes.
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Nevertheless, breaking a promise is a huge risk, and that is why the very strong hints that Rachel Reeves will raiser employers’ national insurance in the budget has opened up a key debate. As Richard Partington and Kiran Stacey report, Labour is arguing that its pledge not to raise national insurance only covered employees’ national insurance, because the party repeatedly talked about taxes on working people.
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But the Conservatives are saying people clearly took the promise to cover all national insurance. Laura Trott, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, issued this statement last night, after Reeves gave an interview clarifying her interpretation of the Labour pledge. Trott said:
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\n
The chancellor has chosen Labour’s first investment summit to sow further uncertainty and chaos for businesses who are now braced for Labour’s Jobs Tax.
\n
Regardless of what they say, it’s obvious to all that hiking employer national insurance is a clear breach of Labour’s manifesto. Rachel Reeves herself previously called it anti-business and we agree, it is a tax on work that will deter investment, employment and growth, and the OBR says it will lower wages.
\n
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Keir Starmer is giving an interview to BBC Breakfast at 8.30am, so we are likely to hear his take then.
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Here is the agenda for the day.
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9.30am: Keir Starmer chairs a meeting of political cabinet.
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11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
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11.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
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After 12.30pm: MPs debate the second reading of the House of Lords (hereditary peers) bill, which will remove the right of remaining hereditary peers to sit in the Lords.
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If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line (BTL) or message me on social media. I can’t read all the messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word.
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If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. I’m still using X and I’ll see something addressed to @AndrewSparrow very quickly. I’m also trying Bluesky (@andrewsparrowgdn) and Threads (@andrewsparrowtheguardian).
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I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos (no error is too small to correct). And I find your questions very interesting too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
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main events
What Mr Starmer said about Labor not promising not to raise national insurance for employers
what is this keir starmer when did you say it henry zeffman He asked whether Labor's manifesto excluded an increase in national insurance rates, or just an increase in employee insurance rates.
Starmer Answered:
We made it clear in our manifesto that we would not increase taxes on working people. We explicitly said it was income tax and it was NIC. [national insurance contributions] We have clearly stated this in our manifesto.
Asked again if he was referring to employee-only NICs, Starmer continued:
It was very clear from the manifesto that what we were saying was that we would not raise taxes for working people. It wasn't just the manifesto. As we have repeatedly said during the election campaign, we intend to keep the promises we made in our manifesto.
Therefore, I do not intend to reveal the details of the budget. You know that's not possible at this stage. What I would like to say is that we will continue to keep the promises we made in our manifesto.
Of course, this will be a tough budget, but the focus will be on rebuilding our country and ensuring the growth our economy needs.
Q: You're being interviewed on the street. Is it a recognition that we didn't communicate well enough in the first 100 days?
Starmer We are committed to delivering the necessary changes and said at the Investment Summit that £63bn worth of investment had been made.
And that's the end of the interview. It didn't reveal much, but at least it provided some fresh words (if not fresh insights) about the National Insurance debate.
Mr Starmer insisted Labor would not break its manifesto promises and said the National Insurance pledge referred to taxes on workers.
Q: Did the manifesto exclude increases in national insurance rates, or was it just national insurance for employees?
Starmer He insists Labor was “very clear” in its manifesto that it would not increase taxes on working people. He said Labor would keep those promises.
However, he said he would not discuss the contents of the manifesto.
This matches what Rachel Reeves said yesterday. Employer's national insurance does not applyalthough Reeves was more blatant.
Q: Do you agree with the Health Secretary that weight loss drugs could play a major role in addressing unemployment?
Starmer These drugs could make a difference, he says.
Q: What can you tell your viewers about how their lives will be improved?
Starmer He said he wants to ensure that the investment benefits all parts of the country.
kia sturmr is currently being interviewed on BBC Breakfast henry zeffmanthe BBC's chief political correspondent.
Q: You're talking about investing in social homes. But this country needs 1.5 million homes.
Starmer He says yesterday's investment summit was important. Investors now say they want to support the country. Young people know that owning their own home is the “base camp” for their life goals.
The government wants them to do this, he says.
Director Paul Johnson is Institute of Fiscal Studiessaid he believed raising national insurance for employers would be a breach of Labour's manifesto. He recently told Times Radio:
It seems to me that it is a clear violation of the manifesto commitments.
I re-read the manifesto and it clearly states that there will be no increase in national insurance premiums.
There are no provisions regarding national insurance for employees.
Politicians are often happy to ignore the IFS. But the country is seen as the closest thing it has to a neutral “umpire” on budget issues.
Opening overview
good morning. Conventional wisdom (George Bush and his writings are often cited) “Read my lips, we don’t need new taxes.” Pact) states that it is fatal for politicians to break their election promises. In reality, this is not always the case. Prime Minister David Cameron never came close to meeting his 2010 pledge to reduce net immigration to below 100,000 people, but this did not prevent him from being re-elected in 2015 (although he did not get close to achieving his 2010 re-election bid in 2016). (which contributed to its defeat in the vote). There are many reasons why Boris Johnson was forced to resign, but raising National Insurance in breach of his 2019 manifesto pledge is not usually thought of as one of the mistakes that ended his career. .
Nevertheless, breaking a promise is a big risk, which is why Rachel Reeves' very strong suggestion that she would raise employer national insurance in her budget has triggered an important debate. as Richard Partington and Kiran Stacey The report claims that Labor has repeatedly debated taxes on workers and that its pledge not to raise national insurance only covered national insurance for employees.
But the Conservatives insist people have clearly accepted the promise of universal National Insurance coverage. Laura Trottthe Treasury's shadow chief secretary, issued this statement last night after Reeves gave an interview clarifying her interpretation of the Labor pledge. Mr Trott said:
The Prime Minister chose Labour's first investment summit to create further uncertainty and confusion for businesses preparing for Labour's employment tax.
No matter what they say, it is clear to everyone that raising national insurance for employers is a clear breach of Labour's manifesto. Rachel Reeves herself has previously called this anti-business, and we agree. This is a labor tax that stifles investment, employment and growth, and which the OBR claims will drive down wages.
Keir Starmer will give an interview on BBC Breakfast from 8.30am, so we'll hear his views then.
The agenda for the day is:
9:30am: Keir Starmer chairs the political cabinet.
11:30am: A lobby briefing session will be held at Downing Street.
11:30am: Health Secretary Wes Streeting takes questions in the House of Commons.
After 12:30pm: MPs are debating the second reading of the House of Lords Bill. The bill would strip remaining hereditary peerages of their right to sit in the House of Lords.
If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line (BTL) or message me on social media. I can't read every message on BTL, but if you include “Andrew” in your message, I'll search for posts containing that word, so it's more likely to show up.
If you want to make an urgent report, social media is the best place to go. I'm still using X, but the one addressed to @AndrewSparrow will appear soon. I've also tried Bluesky (@andrewsparrowgdn) and Threads (@andrewsparrowtheguardian).
It helps a lot when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos (no mistakes are too small to be corrected). And I think your question is also very interesting. I can't promise to reply to everything, but I'll try to answer as much as I can, either on BTL or occasionally on my blog.
