by Labor is “secretly” planning to raise 17 taxes, the Tories have claimed, as Sir Keir Starmer faces questions about what is missing from his manifesto.
Laura Trott, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, accused Labor of planning tax raids on homeowners, businesses and consumers.
At an emergency press conference she said Sir Keir is preparing to announce increases in capital gains, stamp duty and council tax after the election.
Ms Trott said: “On each of these tax increases, the Labor manifesto makes no deliberate commitment not to raise them.
“If he wins, what Keir Starmer is obviously trying to do is cynically claim that the books he inherited are far worse than he thought as a justification for tax increases which are not He told you.”
Labor has repeatedly insisted it has no such plans but has notably ruled out increases in income tax, National Insurance and VAT. On Friday, the party also refused to impose capital gains tax on the sale of family homes.
Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, said the Conservatives were “wasting their time talking about things they imagined”.
None of the 17 potential tax increases highlighted by the party are in the Labor manifesto.
Pensions – four potential tax rises
Labor has refused to match the Tories’ promise of “green plus”, which means that, from 2027, pensioners will have to pay income tax on the state pension for the first time.
The Conservatives have said Sir Keir has also failed to scrap rules allowing people to take out the first 25 per cent of their pension pot as a tax-free lump sum.
In addition, they accused him of raiding pension contributions, by cutting tax relief or applying National Insurance to employer contributions.
Single family homes – four potential tax rises
The Tories have suggested that Labor could raise money by raising council tax. This could be done by increasing the number of bands to charge more for more valuable homes.
Alternatively, Sir Keir could cut council tax discounts, for example for single occupancy, or take the more nuclear option of ordering a national council tax revaluation.
Another tax the Labor leader failed to rule out was an increase in the stamp duty rate.
Energy bills – one potential tax increase
In their manifesto, the Conservatives ruled out introducing any new green levies on consumers and said the cost would be reduced.
They say Labor has failed to match that promise, raising the possibility it could raise money by introducing extra taxes on businesses or energy bills.
Businesses and jobs – seven possible tax increases
The Tories claim that after ruling out increasing the burden on working people, Sir Keir is eyeing many possible tax rises on businesses instead.
They say he has failed to rule out increasing Capital Gains Tax on assets sold by businesses or the rate of National Insurance contributions for employers.
The party has also proposed that Labor can ax a series of investment relief for companies, as well as inheritance tax relief for farmers and small business owners.
Cars – one possible tax increase
The Conservative manifesto promises to reverse Sadiq Khan’s expansion of Ulez and prevent councils from rolling out “pay-per-mile” road pricing.
They have been accused by Labor of planning to roll out such schemes across the country, although Sir Keir criticized last year’s Ulez expansion.
Which the Labor manifesto leaves out
The Tories’ attack on taxes came as questions were raised about Labour’s manifesto, which omitted details of the party’s plans in other key policy areas.
Legal migration
Sir Keir has promised to reduce net migration from the current peak of more than 700,000, but refused to say how much he would bring it down.
He has also outlined plans to reform the points-based immigration system, but has failed to give much detail other than imposing “appropriate restrictions” on visas.
Meanwhile, plans to develop skills strategies for domestic workers, to reduce dependence on foreign labour, are not mentioned, except for health and social care and construction.
Small boats
On illegal migration, Labor has repeatedly promised to scrap the Rwandan plan without saying what it would do to the migrants to be deported under it.
His plan is to divert the money being used for that scheme to pay for a new border security order instead, which he says will “kill” the smuggling gangs.
But other than pouring more resources into the UK’s enforcement side, the party has given few details on how it would do things differently to the current Government.
In particular, he promised not to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, which has repeatedly affected the Tories’ plans to deport illegal migrants.
Farming
The manifesto contains just 87 words on agriculture and almost no detail on how Labor would help Britain’s farmers through financial hardship.
It does not specify what the party would do on subsidies except to say that it would make the current system “work for farmers and nature”.
The dossier also says Labor will “work with farmers and scientists” to eradicate Bovine TB and “end ineffective badger culling” but does not outline how.
Education
The manifesto does not state Labour’s position on tuition fees, failing to pledge not to raise them as universities face a funding crisis.
It also does not include measures to reduce the level of student loan repayments, which the party had previously committed to looking at.
For private schools, it is not specified when VAT on fees would be introduced, despite Sir Keir saying it would happen “immediately”.
Benefits
Sir Keir’s plans for welfare reform have been equally unclear after he was forced to scrap his initial Labor leadership pledge to scrap Universal Credit altogether.
The manifesto only promises to review how the system works and “reform employment support” by making changes to how job centers operate.
It also promises to “reform or replace” the Work Capability Assessment, which determines eligibility for sickness benefits, but does not say how.
Protection
On defence, Sir Keir has promised to increase spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP but it is unclear when he would do so, after refusing to match the Tories’ 2030 target.
Brexit
Regarding Brexit, the party has said it will not re-enter the single market but wants separate deals on food exports and professional qualifications.
But the Labor leader has suggested his ambitions go much further than the manifesto, insisting that “everything must be negotiated” with the EU.
The manifesto also leaves some open questions regarding Brexit as it promises to “remove unnecessary barriers to trade” with Europe.
Labor has repeatedly said it will not bring Britain back into the single market but wants separate deals on food exports and professional qualifications.
