Andrew Neil has launched a livid four-word swipe at Rachel Reeves as fury over her controversial October Budget continues to soar.
Posting on X, the Chanecellor wrote: “Families are still struggling with the cost of living and I’m fighting to put more money in the pockets of working people.
“That’s why we protected their payslips with no rise of their nationwide insurance coverage, earnings tax or VAT, boosted the nationwide residing wage and froze gasoline obligation.”
But this sparked a blunt reply from Mr Neil, wo wrote: “This is determined stuff.”
October 30 saw Ms Reeves deliver her highly anticipated Budget where, at surface level, it may seem like she left alone the ‘working people’ from tax hikes.
However, millions of Brits will be indirectly affected by the Budget due to the rise in Employers National Insurance (NI) by 1.2% and the reduction in the secondary threshold. This is the level at which employers start paying NI – it has decreased from £9,100 per year to £5,000.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has predicted “round 60%” of the increase in costs will be passed on to employees in the short term from April 2025 when the Budget is implemented.
Other social media users were quick to respond to the Chancellor’s post, with one person saying: “Inflation up as we speak, new hiring down. Are you in an alternate actuality?”
UK inflation has risen for the second consecutive month in a row – another blow to the new Labour Government.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced today that Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rose to 2.6% in the 12 months to November, up from 2.3% in the previous month.
Another angry X user posted: “But you elevated NI for companies and lowered the edge to begin paying it, so many will lose their job or not get a job, so you’ve gotten basically taken cash from folks’s pockets.”
A third person added: “You have ruined what little financial positivity there was in report time.
“2025 will be a disaster under your financial leadership for business, workers and their families.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1990485/andrew-neil-rachel-reeves-national-insurance-budget