Labour ALREADY tearing itself apart over £70k tax hike – hours before Jeremy Corbyn even launches party’s election campaign
Emily Thornberry appears to reject shadow cabinet colleague John McDonnell’s call for higher charges
LABOUR is already tearing itself apart over its plan to hike taxes on those earning £70,000 and up before Jeremy Corbyn has delivered his first election speech.
Emily Thornberry appeared to reject her shadow cabinet colleague John McDonnell’s call for higher charges on those he defined as “rich”.
She refused to be drawn on what her party’s economic policies would be ahead of the June 8 vote, but insisted Labour will not “pick off” groups of high earners.
Putting distance between herself and the shadow chancellor in an interview with the BBC, she said she can understand why “many people” taking home the substantial wage packet may feel that they are “not rich”.
It comes after Mr McDonnell said yesterday the wealthy, who he defined as on over £70,000 a year, should ”pay their way more”.
But pressed on whether higher earners would be hit under a Labour government, Ms Thornberry told Radio 4’s Today Programme: “We will need to go into the details as to what our changes to taxation will be.
“I’m not really in a position to be able to go into those details today.
“There are many people on £70,000 who may feel that their circumstances are such that they’re not rich and I understand that.
“But they’re certainly on a higher income – it’s only a matter of maths isn’t it – than those on £26,000.”
Asked if workers earning more than the average £26,000 salary should watch out, she told presenter John Humphrys: “No, no John, no.”
She also denied the Labour leadership was taking the party back to the times of Michael Foot’s disastrous 1983 general election campaign, and insisted the focus would be on tackling tax dodgers.
Companies who fail to pay their way “should be frightened of a Labour government because we will be standing up to them,” she added.
She added: “The system at the moment is one whereby there is an elite who believe the rules don’t apply to them, that taxes don’t apply to them, that they don’t need to be part of the system.”