We are two weeks into Burnhamania and the Prime Minister has already, er, earned himself a break. Somewhere abroad, our Andy reclines. In his absence, the government answered a straightforward question by talking about someone else’s money. Back to old habits already, eh? One of the new government’s first written answer in the Lords has come from Lord Pitt-Watson, who was asked by the Tories what assessment ministers had made of the tax burden on ‘working people’. He replied:
The government has made fair and necessary choices on tax so it can deliver on the public’s priorities. Everyone is being asked to contribute to support these goals, but the government is keeping the contribution from working people as low as possible by ensuring the wealthiest contribute more.
The question was about working people; Pitt-Watson volunteered everyone else. The wealthiest, we learn, will contribute more. Quite how is, um, left to the imagination. Nor is there much comfort for working people: keeping their contribution ‘as low as possible’ is not a pledge that it is coming down. The door to a wealth tax, it seems, is ajar.
Labour backbenchers may permit themselves a smile. Barely a week ago Liverpool Riverside MP Kim Johnson was demanding the leadership start asking ‘the wealthiest to pay their fair share’ rather than reviving the ‘failed politics of welfare cuts’. Her leader has other ideas: just last week he wanted to get ‘really serious’ about the benefits bill. Quite the balancing act. The Treasury will decide which way he falls.
Enjoy the holiday, Prime Minister. Mr S suspects the rest of us should book ours before the Budget…
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