The hike in national insurance is “going ahead”, a Government minister has said, following reports the Prime Minister is “wobbling” over the planned April tax rise to boost health funding.
Technology minister Chris Philp told Sky News: “Yes, it is going ahead.
“It was approved by the whole Cabinet, it was passed by Parliament with a significant majority, and the money is needed to fund the NHS, which I think is something that is a national priority.
“It is £36 billion over three years to fund the NHS and social care.
“We need to put that money in to make sure the NHS has the resources it needs to recover after the pandemic, and this is a proportionate way of finding that money.”
It has been reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was wavering on controversial plans to raise national insurance as questions loom over the future of his premiership in light of an official inquiry into partygate allegations.
A host of senior Conservatives, along with businesses, have called for the proposed increase of 1.25 percentage point to be scrapped in the face of cost of living pressures, with inflation at a 30-year high and the energy price cap due to lift in the spring.
The Times cited a Government source as saying Mr Johnson was considering delaying the rise for a year as “red meat” for his critics on the right of the party.
They reportedly said: “He’s wobbling, I think he would do anything to survive.”
But Mr Johnson said on Thursday that the tax rise was “absolutely vital” as “every penny will go towards fixing the Covid backlogs and also social care”.
Asked to guarantee the increase would still come into effect in April, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said there were “no plans to delay the levy”.
