Conservatives: Response to Labour's blackhole claims

Jeremy Hunt MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

“Labour's claims are nothing but a fabrication - the books have been wide open since the OBR was set up 14 years ago. They show an economy that has turned the corner and a deficit one-third of that left behind by Labour - and not this nonsense the Chancellor is peddling.

“The reality is she does not want to take the difficult decisions on pay, productivity or welfare reform that would have meant we could live within our means and is laying the ground for tax rises.

“After Labour promised 50 times not to do this, they will find trust in the new government evaporates sooner than they expect.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• Rachel Reeves MP said that because of the Office for Budget Responsibility opposition parties have access to information about public finances. As reported in the Financial Times, Rachel Reeves claimed: ‘We've got the OBR now…We know things are in a pretty bad state. You don't need to win an election to find that out' (The Financial Times, 16 June 2024, link).

• Paul Johnson, Director of the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, said that ‘any sense of surprise' about the state of public finances is not ‘really credible at all'. STUDIO: On that surprise point, how credible is it for the new government to say “oh my goodness, this is much worse than we expected”? PAUL JOHNSON: I don't think it's really very credible at all. (BBC Radio 4 Today Programme, 26 July 2024, archived)

• Paul Johnson, Director of the independent Institute for Fiscal Studies, said the country's ‘books are wide open'. Speaking at the IFS's manifesto analysis event, Johnon said ‘I thought I saw Rachel Reeves ruling out, actually, that she would, you know, come in and say over the books and all look terrible. I mean, we would be very rude if someone were to do that. I mean, the books are wide open'. He then tweeted that ‘the books are wide open, fully transparent' (Institute for Fiscal Studies, Manifesto Response, 16 June 2024, archived; Paul Johnson, Twitter, 25 June 2024, link).

Labour promised 50 times not to raise taxes

Manifesto

• The Labour Party manifesto committed to not raising taxes on working people.‘We will ensure taxes on working people are kept as low as possible. Labour will not increase taxes on working people…' (Labour Party, The Labour Party Manifesto 2024, pg. 19, 13 June 2024, link). 

Other

1. Darren Jones MP said Labour would keep taxes as ‘low as possible' for working people. JONES: ‘But our six first steps, they're called first steps because they lead towards our missions. So our overall missions will take time to deliver. One is on sustained economic growth. Another is on clearing not just the backlog in the NHS, but reforming the system. And so our money will be going when we get the economy growing. We'll be going into public service reform, trying to keep taxes as low as possible on working people and putting the country back on track' (Sky News, 25 May 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said Labour would not be raising taxes on working people. JONES: ‘That's why we've supported, the last two cuts to, National Insurance and why we said we won't be increasing taxes on working people if we win the election in July' (LBC, 25 May 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said that Labour had ‘no plans to increase taxes on working people'. ‘Keir has been very clear that we have no plans to increase taxes on working people. It's not that he's not all that tax rises. We have no plans to increase taxes on working people' (LBC, 25 May 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said she did not come into politics to raise taxes on working people. REEVES: ‘I do not believe you can tax and spend your way to growth, and I didn't come into politics to raise taxes on working people' (Daily Mail, 25 May 2024, link).

1. Rachel Reeves said she and Keir Starmer wanted taxes on working people to be lower. STUDIO: ‘Would you rule out putting up income tax?'REEVES: ‘Well, I want and Keir wants taxes on working people to be lower. And we certainly won't be increasing income tax or national insurance if we win the election' STUDIO: ‘That is a clear commitment. You will not increase income tax' REEVES: ‘No we won't increase income tax or national insurance' (Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, 26 May 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said Labour would not increase taxes on working people. JONES: ‘Well, we're not putting up taxes on working people' (BBC Politics West, 26 May 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said there was a ‘need' not to put ‘working people' through rising taxes, rising prices and rising mortgage costs. STARMER: ‘The importance above all of economic stability, the need never to put working people through the whirlwind of chaos, the rising taxes, the rising prices, rising from mortgage costs' (Keir Starmer West Sussex Keynote Speech, 27 May 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said she wanted taxes on working people to be lower. STUDIO: ‘On your plans. You've said corporation tax won't go up above 25 per cent before 2030. What about income tax and national insurance? Will that also not go up over those five years?' REEVES: ‘So I want taxes on working people to be lower, but I'm not going to make commitments without saying where the money is going to come from. But I can make the commitment that income tax and national Insurance won't go up under a Labour government. And of course, the...' STUDIO: ‘The whole five years?' REEVES: ‘The whole five years of the next parliament and on corporation tax' (Rachel Reeves, Speech to Business Leaders at Rolls Royce Q&A, 28 May 2024, archived).

1. Louise Haigh MP said Labour want to lower the tax burden on working people. HAIGH: ‘And we want to lower that burden on working people' (LBC, 28 May 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said Labour had no plans to raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘Let me put this to you, should I? Straight off the bat. ''Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves and Darren Jones have repeatedly refused to rule out raising VAT throughout this campaign and have now only caved in due to a CCHQ press release. They have pulled their shadow Home Secretary off the morning media round and deployed Darren Jones to tell everything that nothing has changed” JONES: ‘Was that from CCHQ or Sam Coates?' STUDIO: ‘No, it was from CCHQ' JONES: ‘I mean, come one. Look, the Conservative Party is desperate… Rachel Reeves has been consistently clear that we have no plans to raise taxes on working people. We've said it a million times… We have no plans to raise taxes on working people' (Sky News, 30 May 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said VAT, National Insurance and VAT would not rise for working people under a Labour government. STUDIO: ‘Yeah, but well, but that's all aspirational, isn't it when you say, I mean, it's all well and good to say to people watching and listening right now well, you know, under a Labour government, we would want your taxes to come down. But there's no guarantee, no promise that they will' JONES: ‘Well, no, I'm giving you that promise today that we will not be increasing National insurance, income tax or VAT on working people. But the long term, sustainable approach to further tax cuts is to get growth back into the economy because people also want their public services funded' (GB News, 30 May 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said Labour would not be raising the tax burden on working people. STUDIO: ‘I'm asking you whether or not you will be changing the thresholds, which is a stealth tax, because people ultimately end up paying more. They get dragged into a higher threshold, they don't necessarily realise it. And it is widely seen as quite a sneaky way to increase tax by tens of billions of pounds a year. And you are unable to answer my question when I'm asking if Labour will raise those thresholds' JONES: ‘No, no. With respect, I've answered it a few times...' STUDIO: ‘No, you've told me that you won't increase the headline rate of tax' JONES: ‘If you if you let me, to try to explain it to you for the fifth time. We will not be increasing the tax burden on working people. That means that taxes will not be going up on the basis that we've set out on income tax, National Insurance or VAT…' (Times Radio, 30 May 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. STARMER: ‘Inheritance tax is completely different. We have no plans to raise inheritance tax, in fact none of our plans involve tax rises over and above the ones we've spelled out. All of our plans are fully costed and fully funded, but it's important that I get across that we will not be increasing tax on working people, so no increase in income tax, in national insurance or VAT. We've said that we will not raise corporation tax and we've locked that in for the entirety of the incoming Parliament if we're privileged enough to come into power. That's already been set out some time ago by Rachel Reeves. I'm very happy to confirm it here today' (Press Association, 5 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said there would be no tax rises on working people under a Labour government. STARMER: ‘He breached the ministerial code because he lied and he lied deliberately… Because we have made clear that our plans are fully costed, fully funded, they do not involve tax rises for working people – so that's no income tax rise, no national insurance rise, no VAT rise… And the Prime Minister, with his back against the wall, desperately trying to defend his awful record in office, resorted to lies and he knew what he was doing, he knew very well what he was doing' (Press Association, 5 June 2024,archived).

1. Rachel Reeves she had no plans to raise taxes on working people. REEVES: ‘Well, the letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury confirms what Labour has said last night, that the Prime Minister lied in the debate last night. Labour has no plans to increase taxes on working people. In fact, I have ruled out increases in income tax, National Insurance and VAT for the duration of the next parliament' QUESTION: ‘Is this becoming a bit of a dirty campaign? Do you think where, you know, tactics like this going back and forward?' REEVES: ‘Well, it's Rishi Sunak who lied 12 times in the debate last night about Labour's tax plans. The truth is, it's the Conservatives that have taken the tax burden to the highest it's been in 70 years. That is the Conservatives' record and their legacy' (BBC News Pool Clip, 5 June 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said she did not come into government to raise taxes on working people. Rachel Reeves tweeted, ‘I didn't come into politics to raise taxes on working people. Labour will not put up your income tax, national insurance or VAT. The Conservatives are the party of high tax' (Rachel Reeves, Twitter, 4 June 2024, link).

1. Pat McFadden said Labour would not put up taxes on working people. Pat McFadden tweeted, ‘Rishi Sunak's claims about Labour and tax are categorically untrue. Labour will not put up taxes on working people' (Pat McFadden, Twitter, 4 June 2024, link).

1. John Healey said Labour will not raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘Stamp duty, will you increase that' HEALEY: ‘We will not, we will not, we will not raise the taxes that are most important to working people that are part of' STUDIO: ‘Will you increase stamp duty?' HEALEY: ‘(inaudible) after 14 years of Conservative government' STUDIO: ‘Will you increase stamp duty?' HEALEY: ‘I'm not going to go through the list. I'm saying to you' STUDIO: ‘Why not, it's really important?' HEALEY: ‘So the taxes that are most important to people, income tax, VAT and National Insurance, will not be raised under a Labour government' (Sky News, 6 June 2024, link).

1. John Healey said Labour will ‘not be raising taxes on working people'. HEALEY: ‘It is indeed a sad place when we will not be raising taxes on working people and we've got a prime minister, the deeper into the election he gets, the more desperate he gets' (Times Radio, 6 June 2024, archived).

1. John Healey said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘Okay, couple of things again, that you won't be raising taxes, but will you be raising tax thresholds?' HEALEY: ‘Well we will set out exactly how we'll pay for the plans that we've got…' STUDIO: ‘So it's not beyond the realm of possibility, John Healey, that you will keep tax thresholds frozen as the Conservatives have done…' HEALEY: ‘We appreciated the burden of the highest tax levels for 70 years. We know they're hitting working people first and foremost alongside the wider cost of living… but on the levels of income tax, VAT and national insurance, we will not be raising those' (Times Radio, 6 June 2024, archived).

1. John Healey said it was a ‘lie' to say Labour would raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘At the beginning of the interview… You said that Rishi Sunak has lied because of this £2000 claim… Other people say, You know what? This happens a lot. This idea of opposition costing has been going on since 1985 and you yourselves Labour. You've claimed that the conservatives have made unfunded spending pledges of 46 billion pounds, then you raise it to 64 billion and then 71 billion… don't know how much of these figures actually will happen, but you have to project into the future. Everyone does this'HEALEY: ‘So we've disputed the claim that the costings the Tories came up with were independent. They've been disowned by those people. They said in the Treasury who had produced them. We've said that it's a lie to say that Labour will raise taxes on working people' (Times Radio, 6 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. STARMER: ‘Let me be crystal clear about this. We will not be raising taxes on working people. That means we won't be raising income tax, National Insurance, or VAT. We will launch our manifesto very soon, and that will have no tax surprises in it, because all of our plans are fully funded and fully costed…' STUDIO: ‘But can you rule out spending cuts?' STARMER: ‘We are not returning to austerity. We will grow our economy. That will start by stabilising the economy, because the Tories have lost control of the economy, and its working people are paying the price for that…' (BBC News Pool Clip, 9 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. CORRESPONDENT: ‘The Liberal Democrats today have said that they will increase capital gains tax and tax on big banks to try and fund some of their policies. Would you consider doing the same? And if not? Are you being honest with the public about how many cuts or potential tax rises might be needed to fund some of your pledges?' STARMER: ‘We're going to launch our manifesto later this week. There'll be no tax surprises in there. We're not going to increase tax on working people. And that means no increases in income tax in National Insurance and VAT and all of our plans. As I say, fully costed, fully funded. And they don't require tax rises over and above those that we've already set out. So, there won't be any surprises when the manifesto is unveiled on Thursday' (Sky News Pool Clip, 10 June 2024, archived).

1. Bridget Phillipson MP said Labour had ‘no plans' to raise taxes for working people.  STUDIO: ‘Will the party increase fuel duty if you win the election?' PHILLIPSON: ‘We have no plans to increase taxes on working people…' STUDIO: ‘Stamp duty?' PHILLIPSON: ‘No plans on that either' STUDIO: ‘Council tax?' PHILLIPSON: ‘Same again' STUDIO: ‘Capital gains?' PHILLIPSON: ‘No I mean we can go through all of these… We've got no plans to increase taxes' (Sky News, 10 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said Labour will not raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘So just to follow up on that, they say, that you will be putting up taxes, not cutting them. Is that correct? No tax cuts from you' STARMER: ‘We have been absolutely clear that all our plans are fully costed, fully funded. We will not be increasing income tax, National Insurance or VAT. So no tax increases for working people. None of our plans require tax rises. But this is coming from the party that's put tax at the highest level since, you know, for 70 years. And they're building the sort of Jeremy Corbyn style manifesto where anything you want can go in it. None of it is costed. It's a recipe for more of the same. And that's why this choice of turning back on this. Turn the page and rebuild it with Labour's simple six first steps. We're ready to go on July the 5^th' (Sky News Pool Clip, 11 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer gave a ‘cast-iron' guarantee Labour would not increase tax on working people. ‘We need to ensure everybody reading the Sunday Express knows in cast-iron terms, we will not be increasing tax on working people. We will not be increasing income tax. We will not be increasing national insurance. We will not be increasing VAT because we think people have paid too much tax' (The Express, 16 June 2024, link).

1. Jonathan Ashworth said Labour will not raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘There seems to be concern that the Labour, a Labour led government would increase council tax. Can you say that is either true or false?' ASHWORTH: ‘We have said there will be no council tax refunding. We have made firm commitments, no increase in income tax, VAT, national insurance or corporation tax. There's nothing in our manifesto which requires additional taxes on working people' STUDIO: ‘So there will be no increase in council tax?' ASHWORTH: ‘We're very clear on the tax on income tax, VAT, National Insurance, and there is nothing else in our manifesto that requires additional taxes on working people' STUDIO: ‘So... I'm sorry we come around in circles here. Council tax will not be increased?' ASHWORTH: ‘Well the tax triple lock tax commitment we have made is on income tax, VAT and National Insurance and on corporation tax which is a different tax as you know…' STUDIO: ‘So council tax will be taxed then?' ASHWORTH: ‘No there's nothing in our manifesto that requires additional taxation' STUDIO: ‘Well why can't you say it won't be increased Mr Ashworth? You're a plain speaking bloke' ASHWORTH: ‘Because we're not going to go... We're not going... I am a plain speaking bloke, you know me well' STUDIO: ‘I know you are. I know, Jon' ASHWORTH: ‘No no no no no. And I'm not going to go through all of these different, different tax taxes in the system because...' (LBC, 17 June 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said Labour will not raise taxes on working people. STUDIO: ‘And I guess that goes for capital gains tax, which is an option which is still at least option. And you're not going to close that now, are you?' JONES: ‘Well, we don't need to because we don't need to raise the money to pay for anything in the manifesto because the manifesto is fully funded. The reason we made the commitment on a headline rate freeze on income tax, National Insurance and VAT is because we know that working people are feeling the pressure after so many tax rises from the same. So we know it's the highest tax burden that people have faced in this country since the Second World War. But the reason our manifesto was very focused and very tight in a way that some people have been critical of, is because it had to be fully costed and fully funded with the loophole closures that we put forward, we were not willing to raise taxes on working people to, you know, announce a whole lot of giveaways in the manifesto in the same way that, like the Green Party have, or even the Conservative Party have, because we don't think it's a realistic offer that the British people will buy into. That's why our manifesto is fully funded and fully costed, with those commitments not to increase the headline rates of tax' (Times Radio, 17 June 2024, archived).

1. Darren Jones said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. JONES: ‘Well, no. And that's why you've made the commitment on not increasing taxes on working people, because all the new things we want to do are fully funded. And as I said on those great pages. And then the question is, well, then how do you spell to spend the existing budget on your priorities more efficiently? And then the long term answer is how do you get the economy growing? Because that will then create extra money that's not allocated to be spend on future projects' (TalkTV, 17 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer refused to rule out raising council tax and cutting pensions tax relief. STARMER: ‘Yeah. Sid on the question of tax we've been really clear we're not going to be raising tax on working people. So as you rightly say, that means no increase in income tax in National Insurance and in VAT'QUESTION: ‘Council tax?' STARMER: ‘And then on top of that Sid, the approach we've taken is this we published our manifesto with our plans, and it said every single thing in that document is fully costed and fully funded… But beyond that, Sid, we are, none of our plans require a tax rise because our focus is on growth. So Sid, none of our plans require tax rises over and above the ones we've set out' STUDIO: ‘So you can say, now, there will not be an increase in council tax?' STARMER: ‘Look Nick what I'm not going to do is sit here two weeks before the election and write the budgets for the next five years'STUDIO: ‘So you can't rule it out?' STARMER: ‘What I what I can say is that none of our plans require a tax rise, and that is for a reason and the reason is our focus is on getting our economy going on building on, growing on, raising living standards, creating wealth' (LBC, 18 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said there will be no new taxes on working people. HOST: ‘Economists say one way to raise revenue is to raise tax on banks. You've said you won't raise tax for working people. Can you reassure banks specifically you're not planning to tax them?' STARMER: ‘Well, we've set out in the manifesto the clear position for working people, which is no income tax rises, no national insurance rises, no VAT rises. And we've also been clear that nothing in our manifesto requires tax rises, other, over and above the ones we've already set out in relation to non-doms, the private schools, VAT, private equity, loopholes and the extension of the tax in relation to oil and gas' (Bloomberg, 1 July 2024, archived).

1. Liz Kendall MP said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. KENDALL: ‘I think he was crystal clear that we are not going to be raising taxes on working people, but that we will be closing tax loopholes and the non REM tax status to fund the extra appointments we need in the NHS' (BBC News, 4 June 2024, archived). 

1. Liz Kendall said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. KENDALL: ‘Garbage. It's complete garbage. We will not be raising taxes on working people. We've made that crystal clear. Clear, people don't want smears and lies. They want actually, honesty and being straightforward, and that's what Keir did today' (LBC, 4 June 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said Labour wants taxes on working people and will not increase income tax, national insurance and VAT. REEVES: ‘The most senior civil servant at the Treasury has been very clear today that these numbers were not signed off by the Treasury, and I have committed that we will not increase, the Labour government will not increase income tax, national insurance or VAT for the duration of the parliament if we win the general election in four weeks time, that is my pledge to working people. Their taxes have reached a 70 year high under the Conservative government, I want taxes on working people to be lower' (LBC, 5 June 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said Labour will not be putting up taxes on working people. REEVES: ‘Absolutely clear that Labour will not be putting up taxes on working people. That's why I've made the promise no increases in income tax, national insurance or VAT if I am Chancellor of the Exchequer. Rishi Sunak lied last night. He lied about Labour's policies' (ITV News, 5 June 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said she will not raise taxes on working people. REEVES: ‘So we won't raise taxes on working people' (ITV News, 5 June 2024, archived).

1. Seema Malhotra MP said Labour will not be raising the three main taxes on working people. MALHOTRA: ‘Well we've said very clearly that we won't be raising those three main taxes on working people. So it's income tax, National Insurance and VAT' (BBC 2, Politics Live, 6 June 2024, archived).

1. Matthew Pennycook MP said ‘we don't plan to raise taxes on working people'. PENNYCOOK: ‘But we've got no intention to raise additional taxes, and we've been very clear. We don't plan to raise taxes on working people' (Times Radio, 7 June 2024, archived).

1. Jonathan Reynolds MP said there would be ‘no additional taxes on households'. REYNOLDS: ‘And we acknowledge that taxes on working people are at a high level. They were at a historically high level. And it's not, frankly, because public services are doing well. It is because the economy hasn't grown. It's been really poor over the last few years. We want to address that. But there'll be no additional taxes on households under a Labour government' (BBC Breakfast, 8 June 2024, archived). 

1. Steve Reed MP said Labour would not increase taxes on working people. REED: ‘But we said, how are we going to fund those commitments without recourse to further increasing taxes on working people which, the Conservatives have walked up to the highest levels since the Second World War' (Times Radio, 9 June 2024, archived).

1. Steve Reed said Labour would not increase ‘personal taxes on working people'. REED: ‘But we will not further increase personal taxes on working people after the Conservatives landed us with the highest rates for 70 years.' (Sky News, 9 June 2024, archived).

1. Liz Kendall said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. KENDALL: ‘We have said we will not be raising taxes on working people, income tax, National Insurance or VAT, but we will be increasing taxes on, non-doms' (Times Radio, 10 June 2024, archived).

1. Angela Rayner MP said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. RAYNER: ‘We're not raising taxes on working people because we've got a 70 year tax high under the Conservatives. And you know we can't do that. We can't tax our way out of the situation' (The News Agents, 10 June 2024, archived).

1. Wes Streeting MP said Labour would not increase taxes on working people. STREETING: ‘And I think that will be a combination of fairer choices on how we raise the money and wiser choices on where we spend the money. And at the heart of that is a commitment not to increase taxes on working people' (Sky News, 11 June 2024, archived).

1. Rachel Reeves said she will not raise taxes on working people. REEVES: ‘I will not raise taxes on working people and I will not raise income tax, National Insurance or VAT with a Labour government for the duration of the next Parliament. In fact, I want taxes to be lower' (Rachel Reeves, Labour responds to Conservative manifesto press conference, 11 June 2024, archived).

1. Louise Haigh said Labour will not raise taxes on working people. HAIGH: ‘Well, look, we have said we're not raising taxes on working people, but we have set out where we will raise taxes on those who can, who have the broader shoulders abolishing the non-dom tax status, removing the tax relief on private school VAT on their fees, reducing, massively expanding the windfall tax...' (ITV, Good Morning Britain, 12 June 2024, archived).

1. Keir Starmer said it is not ‘fair' to raise taxes on working people. STARMER: ‘I don't believe it's fair to raise taxes on working people when they're already paying this much, particularly in a cost-of-living crisis. So let me spell it out. We will not raise income tax, we will not raise national insurance, we will not raise VAT. That is a manifesto commitment' (Keir Starmer, Labour Manifesto Launch Speech, 13 June 2024, archived).

1. Bridget Phillipson said Labour will not be increases taxes on working people. PHILLIPSON: ‘The cast iron guarantee that we give in our manifesto is that we will not be increasing taxes on working people, and that includes and no increases on VAT, on income tax or National Insurance contributions' (Talk TV, 13 June 2024, archived).

1. Liz Kendall said Labour do not ‘want' to put up taxes on working people. KENDALL: ‘We do not want and we will not put up those taxes on working people' (Sky News, 15 June 2024, archived).

1. Matthew Pennycook said Labour would not raise taxes on working people. PENNYCOOK: ‘Well, no, not specifically. Even working people who've managed to keep some savings. We don't want to put taxes up on those people. We've got no plans to increase taxes on working people. That's why we put a tax lock in the manifesto' (Sky News, 20 June 2024, archived).

1. Angela Rayner said Labour should not raise taxes on working people. RAYNER: ‘But no, we don't think that we should be raising taxes on working people. We've set out proposals to increase taxes on the non-dom status, close the tax loophole for the super wealthy' (BBC Radio Merseyside, 21 June 2024, archived).

1. Alison McGovern MP said Labour do not ‘want' to raise taxes on working people. MCGOVERN: ‘More revenue in and that we don't want to increase taxes on working people...' (BBC 2, Politics Live, 9 July 2024, archived).