Labour’s plans on tax in the upcoming Budget have been ripped apart by GB News host Eamonn Holmes, who said “nobody has any idea”.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has warned Britons they need to face the “harsh light” of the country’s economic realities ahead of the October Budget, which will be unveiled on Wednesday.
Speaking on The People’s Channel, Eamonn argued that increased spending on tax often appears to yield little tangible benefit.
“Here’s what I think, what gets right on my thrupenny bits is the word ‘striver’”, he said.
Eamonn Holmes hit out at Labour’s tax plans
PA / GB NEWS
“What they really mean is, they mean poor people or people who aren’t earning what they should be.
“Why can’t they say ‘poor people?’”
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Labour’s Budget plans were dissected on GB News
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He added: “They all talk about tax, what they’re going to hit you with and whatever.”
“What I would really applaud is, I’m going to say something controversial. Let’s say for example fracking, if a politician was to come out and say ‘we are going to make the country rich by doing this’.
“At least you could say ‘we are going to make the country rich by doing this’, but nobody seems to have any idea how to create money.”
Ex-Labour candidate Suzy Stride was more sympathetic to Starmer, arguing the Government has to take steps backwards to go forwards.
“I am baffled by the build-up to this Budget, I want to wait and see what Rachel Reeves comes out with”, she said.
“I think they are going to have some good announcements. People want to be better off and I think this idea about changing the fiscal rules is exciting.
“I think the idea we can borrow more to invest in infrastructure projects is exactly what we need to do. I have just been in America and looking at Silicon Valley and what has happened there in the last 15 years, we need to learn from that.
“We need to change the atmosphere in this country. I personally feel more positive than what some of the newspapers are saying.”
Chancellor Reeves is expected to roll out a series of tax hikes, including an increase to employer national insurance by at least one percentage point.
Starmer is set to warn of “unprecedented” economic challenges and invite the public to judge him on the ability to rise to them.
Reeves has admitted she will raise some taxes, pointing to a £22 billion black hole in the public finances which ministers say was left behind by their Tory predecessors, but has not specified which ones.
Capital gains tax, inheritance tax and fuel duty are among some of the other levers she could pull to raise revenue.
