An anonymous cabinet minister has said that an increase in National Insurance contributions would be “morally, economically and politically wrong,” pointing to the hardships that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused across the country.
The unnamed minister added: “They can’t seriously think of a tax raid on supermarket workers and nurses so that the children of Surrey homeowners can receive bigger inheritances.”
The minister’s words echo sentiments expressed by former Tory prime minister Sir John Major and former chancellor Lord Phillip Hammond.
Speaking at the FT Weekend Festival, Sir John said: “I don’t think they should use National Insurance contributions, I think that’s a regressive way of doing it”.
The former chancellor warned that Boris Johnson’s plan would cause “significant damage” to the Conservative party.
