'Wrong choice' to put up taxes for workers

RACHEL Reeves made “all the wrong choices” in her Budget this week, the Shadow Chancellor has said as workers and savers yesterday reeled after another Labour tax-and-spend spree.

- BY MARTYN BROWN AND JON WALKER

Sir Mel Stride slammed the Chancellor's announcement of an extension to the income tax threshold freeze and increased welfare commitments including lifting the two-child benefits cap.

Speaking on our weekday news show the Daily Expresso, Sir Mel said: “It was just all the wrong choices, putting up taxes on hardworking people with this extension of the income tax threshold freeze, which is something that she basically said she wouldn’t do. And quite a lot of the spending, of course, it’s just going into the welfare budget.

“I think they’re the wrong choices. I think what she should have done is to concentrate on getting government spending down, to allow both herself to bear down on the debt a bit, but equally, to cut taxes to get the economy growing.”

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch promised to fight for working people as it emerged basic-rate taxpayers will pay £220 more after the Budget.

The Tory leader said millions of people who work hard, save hard and do the right thing had been let down by the Chancellor's £30billion tax grab. Writing in the Express, Mrs Badenoch said: “The whole story of this week’s Budget can be summed up in one sentence: taxes raised on working people to pay for welfare handouts.”