Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has accused the chancellor of acting “like a compulsive liar” over the government’s tax promises.
He accused Reeves, who delivered the first Labour budget in nearly fifteen years on Wednesday, of “telling packs of lies for months”.
Speaking to Sky News on Thursday, the former immigration minister said the chancellor “invented” the £22 billion black hole Labour claims it needed to fill at the budget.
“They’re making it up to justify immense tax rises”, Jenrick added.
Labour ruled out increasing income tax, national insurance or VAT in its election manifesto, promising to protect “working people.”
On Wednesday, Rachel Reeves announced she would be increasing employer national insurance contributions by 1.2 percentage points to 15 per cent from April, generating £25 billion.
In total, Reeves outlined a £40 billion rise in taxes, making Labour’s first budget in almost fifteen years the biggest tax-raising budget since 1993.
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Rachel Reeves insists government won’t ‘ever do a budget like this again’
Other tax plans include increasing stamp duty on second homes by two percentage points to 5 per cent, the windfall tax on energy giants up to 38 per cent, the expected VAT on private school fees, and the air passenger duty rate for private jets to 50 per cent.
Responding to Labour’s tax rises, Jenrick labelled the budget a “Halloween horror show” and “the biggest political heist in modern British history”.
“£40 billion of tax rises hurting people across this country”, he said. “And just three months ago, the Labour Party won election on a pledge not to raise taxes.
“I’m afraid Rachel Reeves is acting like a compulsive liar.”
Jenrick added: “This is why Conservative members should be voting for myself, so there can be very, very strong, competent opposition from day one”.
Voting in the Conservative leadership contest closes at 17.00 on Thursday.
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