Sir Keir Starmer has admitted a Labour government may be unable to cut personal taxes for two years without healthier economic growth
The Opposition leader refused to give a commitment to raise the threshold at which people pay income tax yesterday (FRI).
He said: “I do want to see a lower tax burden on working people … I do want to do that.
“What I’m not going to do is make unfunded, unaffordable promises that I can’t keep. That’s what Liz Truss did … The economy crashed and people are still paying the price.”
Sir Keir has been highly critical of Tory tax rises but he would not be drawn on his own tax cutting plans.
The Labour leader also failed to guarantee a Labour government would deliver on his pledge to invest £28 billion a year on green jobs and technology by the end of its first term in power.
Labour had promised in 2021 to invest £28 billion a year until 2030 in green projects if it came to power, but last year Ms Reeves said the figure would instead be a target to work towards in the second half of a first parliament.
Asked if he could guarantee the £28 billion figure would be reached at some point in a first term, the Labour leader told LBC Radio: “We will ramp up to the £28 billion and we have said in the second half of the parliament.”
Asked again if it would be achieved, he said: “That is the first thing. The second thing is it is subject to the money the Government has already put in so we need to look at what they have already put in.
“Thirdly, and importantly in answer to your question, it is subject to our fiscal rules. One of the rules is that debt has to be falling as a percentage of our economy.”
Told that he did not appear to be guaranteeing it, Sir Keir said: “I am confident. We are talking about where we might be in 2027 so being a careful and cautious former lawyer I know that the world can change. Four or five years ago we didn’t know we were going to hit Covid or Ukraine. But I am confident that we can get to that figure. But in the end the fiscal rule comes first.”
Sir Keir described the pledge as a “confident ambition”.
