Unhelpful polling for Reeves today, as a More in Common poll reveals the majority of Britons believe keeping taxes low should be the main priority in the upcoming painful budget. A whopping 53% think Reeves should avoid raising taxes, compared to 32% who think investing in public services is a priority. Just as Starmer warns that the budget will face the “harsh light of fiscal reality”…
Meanwhile, rumoured tax hikes are highly unpopular, with 55% opposing the scrapping of the £2 bus fare cap, decreasing pensioners’ personal allowances and unfreezing fuel duty. If Reeves unleashes her expected tax raids on Wednesday, expect “working people” – who apparently “know who they are” – to be unforgiving in the next election…
Starmer has produced another new definition of “working people” at his speech today as he mentions them 26 times:
“The working people of this country know exactly who they are.”
Starmer may be suprised by the extent to which that’s proved to be true on Wednesday. Meanwhile he announces £240 million in funding to get people back to work and keeps shtum on anything else in Wednesday’s budget. He claims people can criticise his remedies as their “prerogative” and says they need to spell out an alternative path. They may do come the next election…
The PM diverted from his manfesto pledges when talking about tax:
“We made a clear promise to working people not to raise income tax, VAT or their national insurance.”
Labour’s manifesto said: “We will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT.” What will the working people who know who they are make of that?
Starmer is delivering a major speech in the West Midlands ahead of the gruelling budget on Wednesday. He’s to warn Britons the budget will embrace the “harsh light of reality” and will face “tough decisions“. Expect a lot of talk blaming the Tories, less clarity on what a ‘working person’ is…
LIVE: Keir Starmer’s speech on fixing the foundations and delivering change https://t.co/LV9iX8RLB2
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 28, 2024
UPDATE: Starmer confirms that bus fare cap will rise to £3 until the end of 2025.
The Runcorn & Helsby Hellraiser’s greatest hits… pic.twitter.com/n5F6AcVvHL
— Guido Fawkes (@GuidoFawkes) October 28, 2024
He said it…
Meanwhile in America…
The latest development in wonk world sees movement at the Institute of Economic Affairs. Callum Price has taken over as Director of Communications, replacing Matthew Lesh. And joining Reem Ibrahim, who’s been steadying the ship since Lesh’s departure, in the fight for freedom and future of the right…
Price is no stranger to the free-market think tank world, having been Head of Communications at the Centre of Policy Studies in 2021. He was also a SpAd to James Cleverly in the Home Office and Alex Chalk and Dominic Raab in the Justice Department. Price was recently Director of Communication for Cleverly’s leadership campaign. Today’s his first day. Congratulations…
Paula Barker, Liverpool Wavertree MP backing Andy Burnham, told Times Radio there wouldn’t be trouble from the markets under Burnham:
“The markets will have to fall in line.”