Wes Streeting became the latest Labour minister to face a grilling over the party’s “working people” tax pledge.
The Health Secretary was asked if he was a “working person” during an appearance on Sky News this morning.
Labour pledged not to increase taxes on “working people” and explicitly ruled out a rise in VAT, national insurance and income tax.
But ministers have faced repeated questions over the definition of the term and who falls under it ahead of tomorrow’s Budget.
Mr Streeting said: “I am a working person. Last time I checked I was working very hard although I would say that.”
Pressed whether people on six-figure salaries are “working people”, the Labour MP went on: “I don’t think that’s quite what we said, just to lance this boil once and for all.
“What I will say is 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.
“Despite all the pressures we are under and the scale of the black hole in the public finances we will honour every single one of those commitments.
“And 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?”
Mr Streeting added that it is people on “low and middle incomes”.
It comes as ministers have come under pressure to spell out precisely who would and would not fall under the “working people” umbrella ahead of major tax hikes expected to be announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer yesterday insisted that “the working people of this country know exactly who they are”.
Meanwhile, Cabinet minister Pat McFadden had suggested that “income levels and job descriptions is not the right way to look at” whether or not somebody is classed as a working person.
