- Labor leader said people won’t get change from Rishi Sunak – ‘Mr One Per Cent’
- He earned more than £210k last year but avoided answering whether he was also the 1%.
Sir Keir Starmer tried to label Rishi Sunak ‘Mr One Per Cent’ yesterday – but refused to accept that he is also a top earner.
Despite receiving more than £210,000 last year, the Labor leader dodged questions about whether he is also in Britain’s top 1 per cent earners.
Sir Keir’s tax return, published last week, showed he received £126,154 for being MP and leader of the opposition in 2021/22.
He also made capital gains worth £85,466, which he said related to the sale of a house he had helped his sister buy.
Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) tried to label Rishi Sunak ‘Mr One Per Cent’ yesterday – but refused to accept that he is also a top earner.
But launching his party’s campaign for May’s local elections, Sir Keir said: ‘Across the country, everywhere you go, here in Swindon, communities have ambition.
‘They want a change. They simply do not have a government that lives up to their ambitions. And they’re not going to get it from this Prime Minister, Mr. One Percent.
‘One percent of asylum applications from those arriving by small boat are actually processed. The one percent of fraud that was lost during Covid was actually recovered. In reality, no percentage of the windfall tax that could have helped workers was collected.
—And your new fiscal policy? Same as his old tax policy, a tax cut for the richest 1 percent while workers pay the price.’
Asked later whether his tax return showed he was also “Mr One Percent”, Sir Keir dodged the question.
Sir Keir said: ‘Across the country, everywhere you go, here in Swindon, communities have ambition. ‘They want a change. They simply do not have a government that lives up to their ambitions. And they’re not going to get it from this Prime Minister (pictured), Mr. One Percent.
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 workers who face an increase in their council tax, and comparing that to the option that the Conservatives have made, which is a tax cut for the richest 1 per cent.’
Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves added: “The key is who do you represent? We have been very clear in the announcements we have made today that we support ordinary workers who are seeing their taxes rise, 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 into their pensions.
‘Politics is about choices, and Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives always support those who already have a lot.
“Labour is trying to do the right thing: put more money into the pockets of ordinary workers.”