LBC’s Nick Ferrari came to blows with a Labour minister this morning, as the Treasury politician refused to answer a basic question about the upcoming budget.
After Keir Starmer said overnight that those with assets are ‘not working people’, opening the door to huge capital gains tax rises in a week’s time, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray found himself unable to answer the same simple question.
Asked by Mr Ferrari whether landlords are “working people”, Mr Murray repeatedly dodged the question.
Mr Ferrari asked: “What is a working person, Mr Murray?”
He replied: “A working person is someone who goes out to work, and we’re very clear about the importance of protecting working people which is why we made the promise in our manifesto around the rate of income tax, national insurance and VAT.”
However when hit the following up question about whether landlords are working people, Mr Murray went to repeat the same answer, saying it “depends on where people earn their money from”.
Mr Ferrari interrupted him, calling the top Labour minister a “very bright bloke”, and quipping: “You know how a landlord makes his or her money, is a landlord a working person?”
Mr Murray attempted to dodge the question, insisting that the government is focused on protecting working people. The LBC star interrupted again, sarcastically apologising and asking Mr Murray whether he was experiencing technical problems and therefore didn’t hear the question, before repeating the probe.
After a fourth attempt to repeat the non-answer, Mr Ferrari asked: “Are you not hearing me?! Because we have had enormous technical issues here.”
“You clearly know how a landlord makes their money… does that mean they’re a working person?”
“You are a very bright man, we’ve spoken in the past, please don’t dance around this question, Mr Murray, I don’t need to tell you how a landlord makes their money, or indeed how a shareholder makes their money – are they working people?”
After the Treasury minister said ‘working people’ refers to people who “go out to work every day”, Mr Ferrari pointed out that landlords do go out to work every day, and whether the Government now believes they don’t fall within the party’s manifesto tax pledge.
When Mr Murray attempted yet again to swerve the question, Nick Ferrari threatened to terminate the interview due to his frustration over the politician’s non-answers.
Overnight Starmer hinted at possible tax rises for those who own shares and assets, saying they do not fit his definition of “working people”.
The PM said he believes a working person is somebody who “goes out and earns their living, usually paid in a sort of monthly cheque”.
He added that he is not focussing on those wealthy enough to, when they hit hard times, can “write a cheque to get out of difficulties”.