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Yesterday they cut national insurance by another two pence. Today, the Prime Minister and his Chancellor want to scrap it altogether. How they would pay for it isn’t clear. Labour says the pledge is “more reckless than Liz Truss”. Meanwhile, after studying the Budget, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says most people will be worse…
With his eye firmly on the next election, Jeremy Hunt says he is delivering “much-needed help in challenging times”.
More than 20 million employees will pay less National Insurance from today.
Will ‘most families’ be worse off?
Boris Johnson and the Chancellor Rishi Sunak have insisted that the £12bn hike in national insurance will go ahead.
Can the government’s plan really solve the crisis in the care system and give the health service the money it needs?
The pressures to spend more on the NHS in the short term and social care in the long term are clear. But the way national insurance works has raised doubts about whether it’s fair – between rich and poor and between the generations. So what is the right answer to these big spending challenges?
Earlier we spoke to David Gauke who was Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Work and Pensions Secretary under Theresa May.
Gary Gibbon
On Monday, as Article 50 legislation cleared Parliament, we saw a demonstration of the weakness of the Tory “centre left” who wanted to soften Brexit. Today, with the reverse of Philip Hammond’s National Insurance hikes, we saw the Tory pro-Brexit Right assert their strength (yet again).
The Chancellor fends off a furious backlash from his own backbenches, the media and voters after breaking his party’s pre-election pledge not to raise national insurance – no matter how sensible the measure itself might be. Fatima Manji reports.
Gary Gibbon
Given the recent speculation about an early election it’s probably worth saying this was the least plausible pre-election Budget in history.
Gary Gibbon
The plan to merge Income Tax with National Insurance contributions is unlikely to happen any time soon, reports our political editor Gary Gibbon.
Although it may not be intended, plans to combine National Insurance and Income Tax could have major implications for all workers, blogs Faisal Islam.
Can the shadow Chancellor cut the deficit and cut taxes at one fell swoop? FactCheck checks it out.
Once we account for tax and national insurance, the Living Wage rise is less generous than he suggested.