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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/apr/26/keir-starmer-attacks-rishi-sunak-for-putting-other-peoples-taxes-up-so-his-can-stay-low
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Starmer attacks Sunak for ‘putting other people’s taxes up so his can stay low’ | Starmer attacks Sunak for ‘putting other people’s taxes up so his can stay low’ |
| (4 months later) | |
| Labour leader accuses prime minister of refusing to tackle ‘his beloved non-dom status’ | Labour leader accuses prime minister of refusing to tackle ‘his beloved non-dom status’ |
| Keir Starmer has used prime minister’s questions to portray Rishi Sunak as “insulated from reality” over the cost of living, and to make a notably personal attack on the PM’s refusal to end the non-domiciled tax status from which his wife benefited. | Keir Starmer has used prime minister’s questions to portray Rishi Sunak as “insulated from reality” over the cost of living, and to make a notably personal attack on the PM’s refusal to end the non-domiciled tax status from which his wife benefited. |
| Sunak is “so out of touch that he looks at a petrol pump and a debit card like they’ve just arrived from Mars”, Starmer said, a reference to previous awkward-looking photo opportunities involving the prime minister. | Sunak is “so out of touch that he looks at a petrol pump and a debit card like they’ve just arrived from Mars”, Starmer said, a reference to previous awkward-looking photo opportunities involving the prime minister. |
| “He smiles his way through the cost of living crisis while putting other people’s taxes up,” the Labour leader said. “Is it any wonder that he doesn’t have a clue how food prices are hammering families across the country?” | “He smiles his way through the cost of living crisis while putting other people’s taxes up,” the Labour leader said. “Is it any wonder that he doesn’t have a clue how food prices are hammering families across the country?” |
| Labelling Sunak “Mr 24 tax rises”, Starmer sought to contrast this with the continued existence of the scheme allowing people to avoid UK tax on outside earnings by claiming non-domiciled status, as Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, did. | Labelling Sunak “Mr 24 tax rises”, Starmer sought to contrast this with the continued existence of the scheme allowing people to avoid UK tax on outside earnings by claiming non-domiciled status, as Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, did. |
| Sunak was refusing to tackle “his beloved non-dom status”, Starmer told the Commons. | Sunak was refusing to tackle “his beloved non-dom status”, Starmer told the Commons. |
| He said: “It means that at every possible opportunity, he has voted to put taxes on working people up while at the same time taking every possible opportunity to protect a tax avoidance scheme that helps his own finances. Why is the prime minister telling people across the country their taxes must go up so that his can stay low?” | He said: “It means that at every possible opportunity, he has voted to put taxes on working people up while at the same time taking every possible opportunity to protect a tax avoidance scheme that helps his own finances. Why is the prime minister telling people across the country their taxes must go up so that his can stay low?” |
| After Sunak responded by saying the Labour leader had benefited from a change to pensions rules because of his former job as director of public prosecutions, Starmer said he would end this “whether it affected me or not”, adding: “He refuses to scrap the status that benefits him and his family.” | After Sunak responded by saying the Labour leader had benefited from a change to pensions rules because of his former job as director of public prosecutions, Starmer said he would end this “whether it affected me or not”, adding: “He refuses to scrap the status that benefits him and his family.” |
| Starmer opened the session by citing a comment by George Osborne, the former Conservative chancellor, calling Liz Truss and her then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, “political vandals” for the autumn mini-budget that spooked financial markets. | Starmer opened the session by citing a comment by George Osborne, the former Conservative chancellor, calling Liz Truss and her then chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, “political vandals” for the autumn mini-budget that spooked financial markets. |
| “They like to pretend that it was all just one week of madness last autumn. But the truth is, it’s been 13 years of failure,” Starmer said. | “They like to pretend that it was all just one week of madness last autumn. But the truth is, it’s been 13 years of failure,” Starmer said. |
| After Sunak said people were benefiting from higher wages and other help with the cost of living, Starmer replied: “I’m genuinely fascinated to know: does he really think that everything is fine or is he just clueless about life outside of his bubble?” | After Sunak said people were benefiting from higher wages and other help with the cost of living, Starmer replied: “I’m genuinely fascinated to know: does he really think that everything is fine or is he just clueless about life outside of his bubble?” |
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| He added: “It’s not just his refusal to take any responsibility for the damage they’ve done – the crashed economy, the hit to living standards. It’s also he refuses to take the action that’s needed.” | He added: “It’s not just his refusal to take any responsibility for the damage they’ve done – the crashed economy, the hit to living standards. It’s also he refuses to take the action that’s needed.” |
| Sunak, in turn, said Starmer had no economic ideas beyond ending non-dom status, saying the Labour leader had “already spent the money that he claims he would raise on five different things”. | Sunak, in turn, said Starmer had no economic ideas beyond ending non-dom status, saying the Labour leader had “already spent the money that he claims he would raise on five different things”. |