UK politics live: Sunak talks up tax cuts after byelection defeats

Sunak: we can afford to cut taxes during a recession

Rishi Sunak has insisted that his government can afford to cut taxes, despite the country having entered a recession, because “economic conditions have improved”.

Speaking to the media, he said “our plan is working” and he can “give everyone the peace of mind that there is a better future for them and their families”.

He said tax cuts were possible “because of our plan to halve inflation, which has been successful over the past year, and because economic conditions have improved. We have already been able to start cutting taxes for people.”

He continued:

We delivered a significant tax cut at the start of this year, cutting the rate of national insurance from 12% to 10%, now that means someone on an average earnings of about £35,000 is seeing a tax cut worth £450 that hit their payslips in January.

Now that will benefit everyone in work, it demonstrates that our plan is working. And if we stick with that plan, I can give everyone the piece of mind that there is a better future for them and their families ahead, and we can all have a renewed sense of pride in the country.

Sunak is in Harlow today, where he has been meeting the local police force.

He told the media that he was making progress on his five key pledges. He said:

We’ve clearly been through a lot over the past couple of years as a country, but I genuinely believe at the start of this year we’re pointing in the right direction.

Now we’re not out of the woods yet, but across all the priorities that I set out we’re making progress.

Inflation has been more than halved, the economy out-performed expectations last year, debt is on track to fall, we’ve cut the number of illegal migrants coming by a third and we’re making progress on the longest waits in the NHS.

Rishi Sunak has insisted that his government can afford to cut taxes, despite the country having entered a recession, because “economic conditions have improved”.

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Speaking to the media, he said “our plan is working” and he can “give everyone the peace of mind that there is a better future for them and their families”.

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He said tax cuts were possible “because of our plan to halve inflation, which has been successful over the past year, and because economic conditions have improved. We have already been able to start cutting taxes for people.”

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He continued:

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We delivered a significant tax cut at the start of this year, cutting the rate of national insurance from 12% to 10%, now that means someone on an average earnings of about £35,000 is seeing a tax cut worth £450 that hit their payslips in January.

\n

Now that will benefit everyone in work, it demonstrates that our plan is working. And if we stick with that plan, I can give everyone the piece of mind that there is a better future for them and their families ahead, and we can all have a renewed sense of pride in the country.

\n

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Sunak is in Harlow today, where he has been meeting the local police force.

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prime minister Rishi Sunak is shown a new electric hybrid deployment police car during a media visit to Harlow police station in Essex.”,”caption”:”British prime minister Rishi Sunak is shown a new electric hybrid deployment police car during a media visit to Harlow police station in Essex.”,”credit”:”Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images”}},{“_type”:”model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement”,”html”:”

He told the media that he was making progress on his five key pledges. He said:

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We’ve clearly been through a lot over the past couple of years as a country, but I genuinely believe at the start of this year we’re pointing in the right direction.

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Now we’re not out of the woods yet, but across all the priorities that I set out we’re making progress.

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Inflation has been more than halved, the economy out-performed expectations last year, debt is on track to fall, we’ve cut the number of illegal migrants coming by a third and we’re making progress on the longest waits in the NHS.

\n

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Labour leader Keir Starmer said that his party has achieved a decade’s worth of work turning the party around after the last election result to become “credible contenders” at the next one, but added “that is all we are.”

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He told BBC Breakfast:

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I’m proud of the work I’ve done as leader. The progress we’ve now made from the worst results since 1935 to being now credible contenders – and that is all we are – for the 2024 election.

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I have to say, when I took over as leader most people shook my hand and said: “Good luck Keir,” and in the next breath they said: “You will never do this in one five-year parliamentary term.”

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We are trying to do, if you like, what Kinnock, what Smith and Blair did, over 13 or 14 years, in four short years.”

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Rishi Sunak has said the next general election is a choice between himself and Keir Starmer as prime minister, and that a vote for any party other than the Conservatives was a vote to put Starmer in power.

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He told reporters:

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A vote for anyone who isn’t the Conservative candidate, whether that’s Reform or anyone else, is just a vote to put Keir Starmer in power.

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That’s the actual choice at the general election, between me and him, between the…