Basic rate.... basic fairness

KEIR Starmer has vowed to kick the economy out of the "doom loop" of low growth and high taxes that we have been trapped in since the Tories came to power in 2010.

- JOHN STEVENS

As his party prepares for power after the election next year, Mr Starmer used his Mirror interview to make a key pledge on tax.

Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves last weekend promised she would not increase the top rate of income tax.

Asked if he could make the same promise for those on the basic rate of income tax, Mr Starmer said: "We're not increasing tax across the board."

Pushed on whether he would put up income tax, he said: "No. We will do nothing to increase the burden on working people, whether it comes to tax or anything else. They have paid a heavy price for the incompetence of the government after the last 13 years. He said the Tories had been forced to raise taxes because they had failed to deliver economic growth.

He added: "The single biggest factor of the last 13 years of why we've ended up with a high-tax economy is because we've had a low-growth economy.

"This is a doom loop. Not growing the economy has led to the government increasing taxes.