BORIS Johnson faces mounting pressure from within his own top team to scrap a hated tax rise that will sap cash from struggling families.
Jacob Rees-Mogg called for the looming 1.25 per cent hike in National Insurance Contributions to be ditched at yesterday's Cabinet meeting.
Brits are braced for a spring bombshell as taxes, energy costs and everyday prices are set to soar because of pandemic pressures.
The Leader of the Commons – long an advocate for low taxes who's held concerns about the policy – told Rishi Sunak to axe the NICs rise due to bite in April.
But the Chancellor hit back and argued that would lose billions needed to tackle the NHS backlog, according to the Financial Times.
Allies of Mr Rees-Mogg refused to confirm the exchange – but did not deny it.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps was also tight-lipped this morning and said he respected the privacy of Cabinet meetings.
But he said the Government was acting to shield hard-up families from a New Year's squeeze.
Economists warn people could be £1,200 worse off as NICs hit and the income tax threshold is frozen, dragging more into the higher rate.
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Heating bills are also set to increase as the energy price cap is likely to rise.
But confirming the NICs rise would stay, Mr Shapps said: "We made the decision as a Government to look after those things and we set out how we'll do it, which is a National Insurance increase."
The policy explicitly breaks a Conservative 2019 election pledge not to raise National Insurance, income tax or VAT.
In 2023 the NICs rise will be swapped for a separate Health and Social Care Levy to fund social care reforms.
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