Do landlords count as ‘working people’? | James O’Brien on LBC

As landlords and shareholders are set to face a tax hike on unearned income, James O'Brien finds it ‘extraordinary’ that anyone could sympathise with them.

Landlords and shareholders are facing a tax hike at the Budget next week after Keir Starmer suggested they were not "working people".

Starmer, who has repeatedly promised that so-called "working people" will not have their taxes increased, said that he did not consider people whose income derived from assets such as shares or property to fall into that bracket.

"They wouldn't come within my definition," he said.

The hint at who falls outside the scope of Starmer's definition could point to where tax rises might come from in the Budget.

Labour's manifesto said the party would not increase taxes on working people, including VAT, national insurance, and income tax.

Among the levies which are reportedly under consideration for a hike are capital gains tax, inheritance tax, and fuel duty.

Later, in a partial climbdown on the Prime Minister's comments, a Downing Street spokesperson clarified that people who hold a small amount of savings in stocks and shares still count as working people.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Starmer meant someone who primarily gets their income from assets.

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