- Labour leader said people won’t get change from Rishi Sunak – ‘Mr One Per Cent’
- He earned over £210k last year, but sidestepped answering if he was also the 1%
Sir Keir Starmer sought to brand Rishi Sunak ‘Mr One Per Cent’ yesterday – but refused to accept he is also a top earner.
Despite taking more than £210,000 last year, the Labour leader sidestepped questions over whether he is also in Britain’s top 1 per cent for his income.
Sir Keir’s tax return – published last week – showed he received £126,154 for being an MP and Leader of the Opposition in 2021/22.
He also made capital gains of £85,466, which he said was linked to the sale of a house he had helped his sister to buy.
Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) sought to brand Rishi Sunak ‘Mr One Per Cent’ yesterday – but refused to accept he is also a top earner
But as he launched his party’s campaign for the May local elections, Sir Keir said: ‘Across the country, everywhere I go, here in Swindon, communities have ambition.
‘They want change. They just don’t have a Government that matches their ambition. And they’re not going to get it from this Prime Minister, Mr One Per Cent.
‘One per cent of asylum claims from those arriving on small boats actually processed. One per cent of the fraud that was lost during Covid actually recovered. Nought per cent of the windfall tax that could have helped working people actually collected.
‘And his new tax policy? Same as his old tax policy, a tax cut for the richest 1 per cent whilst working people pay the price.’
Asked afterwards whether his tax return showed he too was ‘Mr One Per Cent’, Sir Keir ducked the question.
Sir Keir said: ‘Across the country, everywhere I go, here in Swindon, communities have ambition. ‘They want change. They just don’t have a Government that matches their ambition. And they’re not going to get it from this Prime Minister (pictured), Mr One Per Cent’
He told reporters: ‘The contrast I was making today was what we would do with council tax, which would be a tax cut for the 99 per cent of working people who are facing a rise in their council tax, and comparing it to the choice that the Conservatives have made which is a tax cut for the richest 1 per cent.’
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves added: ‘The key thing is who do you stand for? We’ve been very clear in the announcements that we’ve made today, that we stand for ordinary working people who are seeing their taxes go up – while the only permanent tax cut in the Budget a couple of weeks ago was for people who can save more than a million pounds in their pensions.
‘Politics is all about choices, and Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives always stand with those who already have a lot.
‘Labour are trying to do the right thing – putting more money in the pockets of ordinary working people.’