Johnson promises tax cuts to cabinet after surviving confidence vote
Boris Johnson has promised his cabinet that he will unveil tax cuts, after last night surviving a vote of confidence in his leadership of the Conservative party.
The Prime Minister this morning told a cabinet meeting that he will “deliver tax cuts” and that “it is people who have the best feel for how to spend their own money rather than the government or the state”.
Johnson’s comments come despite his government implementing tax rises post-Covid that will increase the UK’s tax burden to its highest level in 70 years.
This includes net increases in National Insurance, future increases in Corporation Tax and stealth increases in Income Tax.
Johnson won over Tory MPs by a vote of 211-148 last night in a contest that has left his authority over his own party severely weakened and led to questions over whether he will last until the next election.
Former Conservative leader Lord William Hague today said Johnson should look for an “honourable exit”.
The PM promised Conservative MPs in a meeting yesterday that he would enact supply side reforms and tax cuts in a bid to win them over.
In today’s cabinet meeting, he said: “If we go forward with that approach, continuing to unite and level up which is a magnificent agenda, totally the right agenda for the country, but also driving supply-side reform, driving improvement, we will start to see huge, huge changes, beneficial changes in our economy and we will have the scope by delivering tax cuts I think to deliver considerable growth in employment and economic progress.
“That is the way forward.”
He added: “In the end it is people who have the best feel for how to spend their own money rather than the government or the state and that is our fundamental conservative instinct.”
Former cabinet minister Lord David Frost today said Johnson needs to cut taxes to save his premiership.
“We’re delivering an economic policy that’s not going to deliver prosperity and wealth. If he can change that he can get on to a different path and save his premiership and government,” he said.
Johnson last night claimed that his victory was a “very good”, “convincing” result and “an opportunity to put behind us all the stuff that the media goes on about”.
However, many pundits and rebel MPs have said he should quit after 41 per cent of his own MPs said they no longer have confidence in his leadership.
When asked how long Johnson will last as Tory leader, rebel MP and former cabinet minister Tobias Ellwood said: “I think we’re talking a matter of months, up to party conference.
“This is far from a conclusive result – it’s not a defeat but it’s not a win. So for the moment I accept the democratic outcome and I encourage all colleagues to do the same.”
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said the party must now “draw a line in the sand”.
“I think we draw a line in the sand after this vote, it was clearly and decisively won,” he told LBC.
“We move forward to deliver for the people of the country and that is the way we do the right thing by our constituents.”