BORIS Johnson was quizzed on why he is raising taxes on the working people during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday afternoon.

At PMQs the prime minister was as how he could claim to be a “tax-cutting Conservative”.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “One of the most absurd claims made on behalf of Operation Save Big Dog is the prime minister and chancellor writing in the Sunday Times that they are the tax-cutting Conservatives. Why do these alleged tax-cutters keep raising taxes on working people?”

Boris Johnson replied: “On what we are doing to tackle costs of living and taxation, our Covid recovery grant programme is absolutely vital in helping people with the costs of living, with taking up Universal Credit payments by cutting the tax that people effectively pay, lifting the living wage, helping councils with half a billion pounds for those who are facing particular hardship, but what we are also doing, and this is absolutely vital, is increasing the number of high wage, high skilled jobs in this country.”

Mr Starmer accused the prime minister of introducing a series of “stealth taxes” on working people.

His examples included freezing the threshold for income tax and tuition fees, as well as “local authorities forced to increase council tax”.

He added: “You can be as stealthy as you like but you can’t hide reality. We have the highest tax burden for 70 years during the middle of an inflation crisis. So, I ask the Prime Minister again, why do he and the Chancellor keep raising taxes on working people?”

Boris Johnson explains reason for National Insurance tax hike

Boris Johnson replied:"I think everybody in this country can see that we’ve been through the biggest pandemic for 100 years, that we’ve looked after the people of this country to the tune of £400 billion.

“We have now got the fastest growth in the G7, we’ve got youth unemployment at a record low, we’ve three times as much tech investment coming into this country as there is in France, twice as much as there is in Germany.

“Never forget the last time they were in office when they were finally booted out they left a note saying there’s no money left. That’s the way they run the country.”

South Wales Argus: Boris Johnson explains reason for National Insurance tax hike. (PA)Boris Johnson explains reason for National Insurance tax hike. (PA)

He added: “This is all about dealing with the consequences of the biggest pandemic this country has seen with an unprecedented economic crisis in which the state had to come forward and look after the people of this country to the tune of £408 billion. Everyone can see the fiscal impacts of that.”

Mr Johnson went on to defend the Government’s record on the NHS.