WATCH: Flashback to when Boris Johnson ‘guaranteed’ there would be no tax hikes

A video of Boris Johnson promising no tax hikes ahead of the 2019 general election has resurfaced as he is expected to announce a rise in national insurance payments to fund social care.

In the manifesto launch, the now prime minister promised: “Here’s the kicker, we can do all these things without raising our income tax, VAT or national insurance contributions. That’s our guarantee.”

The pledge is now at risk of being breached, which has many triggered reactions.

Reactions

Alan Brown said: “That’s his guarantee. Soooo many gullible voters. LOL reap what you sow.”

But Ben Bloch argued: “It’s unfair to criticise Boris Johnson for breaking a 2019 manifesto pledge – there’s been a bloody pandemic since then.

“What is totally fair to criticise is that the cost of social care is being put on the youngest and lowest-earning people. *That* merits outrage.”

One user said: “Why aren’t we funding social care out of the £350 million per week that was on the side of your bus??? Those Sunlit Uplands are looking more like Soggy Bogs.”

And Jake Hammon said: “In his own words… ‘here’s the kicker’”.

Plans

According to The Times and The Daily Telegraph, proposals to raise national insurance contributions could be revealed from next week, and could see an increase of up to two per cent.

According to Sky News, the Tories’ plans are “likely to disproportionately hit millions of younger people”.

In July, this year, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwateng was asked if there could be no national insurance hike.

He told Sky News: “That’s what it says in the manifesto, I don’t see how we could increase national insurance, but you know things have been very flexible over the last 18 months, we’ve lived through an unprecedented time, we’ve been spending huge amounts of money that we never thought was possible and it’s up to the Chancellor and the Treasury, and the wider Government, to decide a budget.”

He said he believes a social care plan will come “by the autumn”.

“I don’t think we’ll put up national insurance in that specific…” he said.

James Ball said: “Using national insurance – a tax not paid by older adults – to pay for social care is yet more generational robbery.

“There is absolutely no reason this couldn’t (and shouldn’t) at least come from income tax, which is paid by people of all ages – if they are earning.”

“National insurance” doesn’t pay for health or social care. It just goes in the same tax pot as everything else, but isn’t paid by older adults – EVEN IF THEY ARE STILL WORKING – and also is more generous to high earners. The name at this point is just a sales con.”

Andra Maciuca

Andra is a multilingual, award-winning NQJ senior journalist and the UK’s first Romanian representing co-nationals in Britain and reporting on EU citizens for national news. She is interested in UK, EU and Eastern European affairs, EU citizens in the UK, British citizens in the EU, environmental reporting, ethical consumerism and corporate social responsibility. She has contributed articles to VICE, Ethical Consumer and The New European and likes writing poetry, singing, songwriting and playing instruments. She studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield and has a Masters in International Business and Management from the University of Manchester. Follow her on: