The leader of the Labor Party rules out any increase in income tax, social security or VAT.
British opposition leader Keir Starmer has pledged to make wealth creation his government's top priority in a pre-election speech to voters.
Speaking ahead of the publication of Labour's election manifesto on Thursday, Starmer said he would prioritize economic growth and not raise taxes.
“We will not increase taxes on workers. This means there will be no tax increases for income tax, for national insurance, for VAT. [value-added tax]Starmer said Wednesday during a leaders' debate hosted by Sky News.
“Tomorrow's manifesto will be a manifesto, a plan for wealth creation,” Starmer added. “You may not hear a Labor leader say that very often, but for me that is the most important thing.”
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer turned prosecutor, is expected to win next month's election after 14 years of Conservative Party rule.
Opinion polls have been showing for months that the center-left Labor party leads the Conservatives by about 20 points.
Still, Starmer, 61, has sought to reassure voters that Labor will govern with a pro-business, pro-growth agenda, after Jeremy Corbyn, the party's most left-wing leader in decades, presided over its worst performance since 1935 in the last election.
As well as pledging not to raise personal taxes, Labor has ruled out raising corporation tax and said its plans do not require an increase in capital gains tax, although it has not committed to leaving the rate unchanged.
“I want to do things differently. I want to grow our economy. “I accept that previous Labor leaders have pulled the fiscal lever every time and increased spending,” Starmer said.
The UK has been among the worst performing major economies in recent years.
The country fell into recession in the last three months of 2023, with gross domestic product (GDP) falling 0.3 percent, following a 0.1 percent contraction in the previous quarter.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has forecast that the UK will grow 0.4 per cent this year, slower than any other G7 economy apart from Germany.
