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‘Ignoring My Question!’ Victoria Derbyshire Calls Out Minister For Not Saying If Taxes Will Go Up

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The BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire called out a minister this morning for refusing to say if the overall tax burden will go up under Labour.

The tax burden is already high by historical standards, after several hikes from the Conservatives – but the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) predicted it would increase by even more under this government.

The economists forecast that the party would take the tax burden to its highest level of record, reaching 37.4% by 2028/29.

So, while hosting Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Derbyshire pressed environment secretary Steve Reed over his government’s plans for taxes.

She began: “Just to be clear with our audience, because you said you want to be honest in government – the overall tax burden is going to go up to its highest ever under this Labour government, isn’t it?”

Reed said his government’s “intention” is to reduce taxation over the course of this parliament, but Derbyshire cut in: “That wasn’t my question.”

The minister began: ’We’re all going through a spending review process –”

Derbyshire cut in: “Again, you’re ignoring my question Mr Reed. I thought you were going to be a different kind of government?”

When Reed said they did not have all the information yet, Derbyshire replied: “It’s already out there! The IFS have got the graphs!”

Reed said each government department was looking for efficient ways to save money, adding: “It is very important that we’re open and transparent about that.”

“But not open and transparent about the overall tax burden?” Derbyshire said.

Reed deflected, and said the chancellor Rachel Reeves would be unveiling Labour’s plans in the budget at the end of the spending review period.

He added that the government will not be raising income tax, VAT and National Insurance on working people.

The minister said: “We have to break out of the doom loop that has led us to this situation – because the Conservative government couldn’t grow the economy, taxation is high.

“We intend to grow the economy through things like building 1.5m new homes.”

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Piers Morgan Pinpoints Exactly How Brexit Is The ‘Great Unmentionable’ In This Election

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Commentator Piers Morgan called out politicians for omitting Brexit from their election campaigns last night.

While critiquing the first leadership debate of the election so far, Morgan told BBC Newsnight: “The great unmentionable in all this is Brexit. Nobody is talking about Brexit.

“Eight years after that referendum, I was someone who voted Remain but was adamant that you can’t just have another referendum immediately.”

The former TalkTV host said while he thought the initial “re-moaning was ridiculous”, he thinks it is now time to consider voting on the topic again.

Morgan said: “After eight years, given the state of the supposed ‘control’ of our borders, which is terrible, and given the self-harming effect on our economy, surely it’s time that Labour had an honest conversation about where the polling is on Brexit, which is where most people in this country would like another referendum, to see if they would like what they’ve been given.”

Although the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, the full effects of our departure are just being felt.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has said Brexit has caused a 4% hit to the economy – and the full impact is expected be felt for years to come.

Migration numbers also remain exceptionally high.

Labour called for another referendum on the UK’s EU membership back in 2019, before the country had officially left the trading bloc.

At the time, Jeremy Corbyn was the leader of the opposition and parliament was deadlocked over the terms of the withdrawal agreement.

Corbyn said he wanted to stop “no deal” or a “damaging Tory Brexit”.

Since then, Corbyn has lost the Labour whip and the party’s leader Keir Starmer – who is widely expected to win the next election, according to the polls – said last September there is no case for returning to the EU.

He has stayed quiet on the topic ever since.

The Conservatives have not mentioned Brexit at all, despite spending the whole of the 2019 general election arguing that they were the ones who “got Brexit done”.

However, the topic is only more likely to rear its head now Chief Brexiter Nigel Farage has just returned to frontline politics.

To great fanfare, he announced this week that his eighth attempt to run for parliament in Clacton as the new Reform UK leader.

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‘People Are Laughing At What You’re Saying’: Tory MP Bombs With His Defence Of Levelling Up

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A Tory MP has faced a BBC audience “laughing” at the government’s flagship levelling up plans.

On Monday, a live episode of Newsnight was broadcast from Doncaster as part of a series of town hall-style “on the road” programmes ahead of the general election.

The city is one of the areas to receive funding as part of the agenda to reduce regional inequalities, which was championed as “levelling up” by former prime minister Boris Johnson.

But when an audience in the newly-created Doncaster East and Isle of Axholme constituency were asked by presenter Victoria Derbyshire whether they’d experienced any impact of the policy, she was greeted with a unanimous “no” (See video at top of story).

When asked about the plan, Conservative MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, one of the panellists, put forward a version of Rishi Sunak’s “stick with the plan” argument.

He said: “We’re the only people who do actually have a plan, certainly in terms of how we want to invest. Now levelling up, of course, it’s something Boris Johnson made a big deal of in 2019.

“I think it’s not just about large cash transfers, though, it’s about pride in our communities. It’s about opportunities …”

While in full swing, Derbyshire interjected to say: “With respect, there are people here in the audience who are laughing at what you’re saying.”

Clarke-Smith, who represents a Nottinghamshire constituency, went on: “We just had a pandemic for two years. We spent £400 billion on that. That’s going to impact a lot of things. It’s impacted the NHS. It’s impacted a lot of building projects. It’s impacted all of these things together, so we are still recovering from that.”

He added: “But we’re going on the right path. We’re getting inflation down and we will see that levelling up and we will see that investment, including here in Doncaster East.”

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‘Are You In Denial?’: Robert Jenrick Mocked Over His Response To Tory By-Election Defeats

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A Tory minister was asked if he was “in denial” after he tried to play down the significance of the party’s latest by-election disasters.

Robert Jenrick insisted “the public are undecided” about Labour, despite their seismic victories last Thursday.

The Conservatives lost in Tamworth despite having a majority of nearly 20,000, while Keir Starmer’s party managed to overturn a 25,000 majority in Nadine Dorries’ former seat of Mid Bedfordshire.

But appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme this morning, Jenrick, who is the immigration minister, insisted Rishi Sunak is “making good progress” on his promises to voters, which he said were in tune with people’s priorities.

Presenter Victoria Derbyshire replied: “It doesn’t seem to be having any effect though if you look at what happened in Tamworth and Mid Beds.

“In Tamworth Labour overturned a majority of almost 19,000, in Mid Beds a majority of 25,000.”

Jenrick said: “With all due respect I wouldn’t read too much into by-elections – governments tend to lose by-elections.”

But Derbyshire hit back: “They are massive majorities with double digit swings – are you in denial?”

The minister replied: “I think we all have to listen to what the voters are saying in those by-elections, but we also shouldn’t read too much into them.

“My sense is that the public are undecided, they’re certainly not sold on Keir Starmer.”

Derbyshire interrupted: “Labour just won those two by-elections.”

Jenrick said: “The key thing for us as a party right now is not to worry about party politics but to deliver on the public’s priorities.”

Derbyshire then asked Jenrick how worried he was about losing his own seat of Newark, where he has a majority of 21,816.

“It would be foolish to be complacent – we all need to work hard and be good constituency members of parliament every day,” he said.

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David Lammy Says It Is ‘Right’ That Labour Politicians Avoid Palestine Protests

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Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy has said it is “right” that Labour MPs do not attend protests about the Israel-Hamas war.

Labour MPs and councillors were sent emails from the party leadership, “strongly advising” them not to attend any protests or rallies.

Thousands of people took part in a pro-Palestine march in the centre of London yesterday, with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn among those who addressed the crowds.

It came amid the ongoing conflict sparked by last weekend’s attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Lammy said Labour politicians should be “careful and cautious” about who they appear alongside.

He said: “It’s important that as we want to be the next government, that people do not share platforms with people who do not share Labour values, that they’re careful and cautious.

“And we’ve seen Labour members of parliament exercise that caution over the last few days and I think that must be right.”

Presenter Victoria Derbyshire said: “So are you saying because again, I want to be clear. If you’re a Labour MP or Labour councillor, you shouldn’t go for example, to a pro-Palestinian rally?”

Lammy replied: “If you’re a Labour MP, you should always be careful whom you share platforms with at this moment, and you should be very careful that you do nothing to drive division in our communities.

“There’s a rise in anti-semitism, there’s a rise in Islamophobia in our country as I speak. In a position of responsibility, you do everything to minimise those who sew division.”

The Labour party under Keir Starmer have been keen to banish any remnants of anti-semitism that was associated with the party under its former leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Querying whether or not the guidance given to Labour MPs and councillors applied to protests supporting both sides of the conflict, Derbyshire said: “And are you saying they can’t go to a pro -srael rally?”

Lammy said: “Guidance has gone out. It’s very clear what that guidance is.

“People have a right to protest in our country. It’s a right we defend because we’re a democracy, justice. We defend the rule of law and international law. So people have the right to protest.

“We as leaders in our community should be very judicious and careful. I think this time, that’s the right thing to do. And it’s particularly the right thing to do if you hope one day to be the government.”

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I’m A Celebrity 2020 Line-Up Revealed – Here’s Who’s Confirmed For The Castle

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Victoria Derbyshire Admits She Will Break The Rule Of Six At Christmas If It Is Still In Place

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I’m A Celebrity 2020 Line-Up: Have These 8 Stars Just Been Confirmed For The New Series?

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