Landlords and Savers Slam Starmer After he Suggests They Don't Count as "Working People" and Will be Hit With Tax Hikes

Landlords and Savers Slam Starmer After he Suggests They Don’t Count as “Working People” and Will be Hit With Tax Hikes

Landlords in Britain have hit back at Keir Starmer, branding him “insulting” and “out of touch”, after he suggested they do not count as “working people” and hence are fair game for tax hikes ahead of the Budget. The Mail has more.

The Government has been asked repeatedly to define the term “working people” in a bid to establish which taxes Chancellor Rachel Reeves could hike next Wednesday.

Now, the Prime Minister suggested those with assets are not “working people” and it is expected they will be targeted by the biggest tax hikes in three decades.

He has already ruled out putting up income tax, employee National Insurance and VAT, leaving Ms. Reeves to target areas such as capital gains and inheritance tax.

Speaking at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, Sir Keir said a “working person” is somebody who “goes out and earns their living, usually paid in a sort of monthly cheque” but they did not have the ability to “write a cheque to get out of difficulties”.

And when asked if this would include people who get all or part of their income from assets, he told Sky News: “Well, they wouldn’t come within my definition.”

Although Downing Street then tried to clarify that people with small savings did count as working people, the comments have caused fury among landlords.

Among them is Patricia McGirr, of Rossendale, Lancashire, who has been a landlord and small business owner for more than 20 years and said she had “worked long and very hard week in and week out”.

The 59-year-old, who runs the Repossession Rescue Network, told MailOnline: “I worked for the NHS for 14 years and began to invest to safeguard my family.

“The Prime Minister and his Cabinet are out of touch to think small business owners and landlords don’t actually work for their money. Their policies are pushing everyone to the brink when they rely on the private rental sector for much needed capacity.”

Worth reading in full.