Starmer says ‘working people’ shouldn’t fear the Budget – but who are they? Join The Independent Debate
As ministers offer conflicting views on whether high earners, landlords, and those with investment income should be included in the group protected from tax increases in Labour’s Budget, we want to know how you would define ‘working people’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer assures the public that “working people” have nothing to fear from Wednesday’s Budget, confusion has arisen over who exactly qualifies as a “working person.”
Labour has promised not to raise taxes on working people, but the term remains unclear, with care minister Stephen Kinnock recently dodging questions on whether those earning over £100,000 fall into that category.
The prime minister triggered a backlash by implying that landlords and those with shares may not be classified as working people. After public outcry, Downing Street clarified that individuals whose primary income comes from work — not investments — are still considered working people.
Meanwhile, health secretary Wes Streeting has said he considers himself a “working person,” despite earning £160,000 annually, and suggested that the government’s decisions are primarily focused on those with low and middle incomes.
He told Sky News: “In our manifesto we were very clear about the steps we were going to take to protect working people, which was ruling out increases in income tax, national insurance and VAT, and despite all the pressures that we are under and the scale of the black hole in the public finances, we will honour every single one of those commitments.
“Just on this ‘working person point’, I think what we mean is when we’re making decisions, especially in the context of a Budget, who do we have in our mind’s eye?”
As Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares to deliver Labour’s first Budget in 14 years, we want to hear your views. How should “working people” be defined? Should high earners or those with investments be included? And how should this affect decisions in the upcoming Budget?
Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.
All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments