HM Treasury is reportedly becoming increasingly worried that Boris Johnson may reverse forthcoming plans to raise national insurance to placate the right wing of the Conservative party as he fights to remain Prime Minister.
It has been reported that Rishi Sunak has insisted to colleagues that the rise must go ahead. The Government is currently planning to rise national insurance contributions by 1.25%, packaging the rise as a ‘health and social care levy’, seeking to fund backlogs due to Covid and to improve social care across the UK. However, this week the Prime Minister has been reticent to commit to pressing ahead with these plans.
With many figures on the right of the Tory party have voicing their opposition to the tax hike, the Prime Minister will not want to be in the business of alienating his colleagues as the possibility of a vote of confidence looms.
However, things are far from clear cut after the Met Police asked Sue Gray to leave out key details from her report to avoid prejudicing their own investigation. Boris Johnson has insisted that “there’s been no discussion at any level” over cancelling or delaying the tax rise, and he has insisted that it is “absolutely vital” to find the money.
Health leaders have echoed these sentiments, with Lord Crisp, a former Chief Executive of NHS England saying ‘it is vital that government… follows through with its commitment to the NHS and social care.’
Widely seen as a strong leadership candidate were a leadership election to be triggered, Rishi Sunak has been less firm in his defence of the Prime Minister than other frontrunners including Liz Truss. It has been reported by the Guardian that, if Johnson overrules him and the rise were to be reversed, Sunak would consider resigning.
