National insurance rise will go ahead despite Tory dissent, insists minister
A cabinet minister has argued that the national insurance rise should go ahead as planned despite Tory rebels reportedly pushing for it to be scrapped as the price for their support of Boris Johnson’s leadership.
Thérèse Coffey, the work and pensions secretary, said there were no “dissenting voices” in government pushing for the increase to be ditched, or pushed back, ahead of its introduction on 6 April.
With Johnson under intense pressure over two investigations into alleged rule-breaking parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, the prime minister has reportedly been urged to U-turn on the tax rise by MPs he is meeting for one-to-one chats in his Commons office.
Critical MPs have felt emboldened to make demands of Johnson given his tenuous position, while he waits for the findings of a civil service inquiry led by Sue Gray – expected within days – and a separate Metropolitan police inquiry.
Despite some backbench Tories clamouring for the national insurance rise not to go ahead, only five of the party’s MPs voted against it in September.
Coffey said she “genuinely” did not know when the long-awaited Gray report would be released, but suggested there was not expected to be any change to the introduction of the levy, which is being used to clear the NHS backlog due to Covid before it will be spent on social care.
“It should go ahead. That’s what’s been decided,” she told Times Radio.
She added: “Parliament voted for the levy, it’s designed to support the NHS and future NHS support as well. It’s set to be happening in April, I see no reason why that will change.”
After some cabinet ministers were said to be nervous about the tax hike’s introduction at a time of sharply rising inflation and when the energy price cap is increased,
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