Sir Keir Starmer has defended the triple lock in a tense PMQ's clash with Kemi Badenoch.
Speaking in the Commons, the Prime Minister responded to the Tory leader, who accused him of forcing businesses to “cut wages, put up prices, or sack their staff”.
Starmer said the triple lock is "safe" under a Labour government, despite calls from experts and Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride that the policy is "unsustainable."
The Prime Minister said: "The Shadow Chancellor called the triple lock unsustainable. And the leader of the opposition wants to means test it so she can cut it."
Starmer made the announcement earlier today in the Commons
Getty/Parliament.tv
Badenoch said: "The triple lock was a Conservative policy. Rather than the Prime Minister congratulating himself for what we did, why don’t we talk about what he’s doing?
"From Sunday, Labour’s jobs tax will mean many British businesses face a terrible choice: to cut wages, put up prices, or sack their staff. What is the Prime Minister’s advice to those businesses?”
The Prime Minister replied: "She says the triple lock was Conservative policy. It was once thought to be the party of sound finances, but they blew all of that.
“She asked what we’re doing, we’re clearing up the mess that they left. We’re dealing with global instability, and we recognise the pressures that are bearing down on businesses and individuals and working people, that’s why we’re rolling up our sleeves."
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Kemi Badenoch speaking during Prime Minister's Questions
Parliament.tv
Badenoch claimed that families will be £3,500 poorer because of Sir Keir Starmer’s decisions, adding: "The only mess is the one that he made with his budget.
"They had an emergency budget last week that fixed nothing. He says he is bringing stability, all we see is fragility.
"During the election, the Prime Minister also promised that he would not increase taxes on working people, but even the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) says that the jobs tax will be passed on to workers.
"On average, families will be £3,500 poorer. Why should anyone trust him again?"
The Prime Minister replied: "Her fantasy figure is about as much use as Liz Truss’s economic planning, and she turns up every week to carp from the sidelines about decisions we made at the budget.
"Yesterday, she held a press conference and she couldn’t say whether she would reverse the decisions that we made at the budget."
Badenoch also took aim at Starmer's "awful April" plan, saying said: "I don’t agree with making people poorer. I don’t agree with pensioner poverty.
"Out there they are calling it ‘awful April’. That’s because of decisions he made, because he made promises and broke them. His promises are worthless, people are getting poorer...Does the Prime Minister regret promising the British people he would freeze their council tax, when he has so obviously failed?"
The Prime Minister responded: "I have to ask, if she doesn’t want people to be poorer, why didn’t she resign when she was in government? The last government put up council tax for 12 years in a row. She, I think, was actually minister for council tax, and in the years she was, she put it up.
“And even now the Conservative’s own local government association manifesto said currently their position we asked the Government to remove the caps on council tax."
