October budget will be ‘painful’ Sir Keir Starmer says – giving biggest hint yet of tax rises

The October budget will be “painful”, Sir Keir Starmer has said, giving the biggest hint yet of tax rises.

Speaking from Downing Street, the prime minister said: “I will be honest with you, there is a budget coming in October and it’s going to be painful.”

He added: “Just as when I responded to the riots, I’ll have to turn to the country and make big asks of you as well to accept short term pain for long term good. The difficult trade-off for the genuine solution.”

Sir Keir said that “those with the broadest shoulders should bear the heavier burden” and “those who made the mess should have to do their bit to clean it up”.

The prime minister referenced the “£22bn black hole” in the nation’s finances, that he said the Office for Budget Responsibility did not know about – as he took aim at the last government.

“I said change would not happen overnight,” he said. “When there is a deep rot at the heart of a structure, you can’t just cover it up… you have to overhaul the entire thing, tackle it at root. Even if it’s hard work or takes more time.”

Speaking about riots towards the end of July into the start of this month following the Southport stabbing attack which left three young girls dead – the prime minister hit out at a “minority of thugs that thought they could get away with causing chaos”.

Politics latest: Reaction as Starmer gives major speech

During his speech, Sir Keir insisted, “we’ve done more in seven weeks than the last government did in seven years”.

The prime minister was speaking from the rose garden at Downing Street – previously used by Boris Johnson’s adviser Dominic Cummings after he broke COVID lockdown rules, and also where gatherings took place during partygate.

This appeared to be a deliberated choice, as Sir Keir said: “This is a government for you, a garden and a building that were once used for lockdown parties.

“Remember the pictures? Just over there? With the wine and the food. Well, this garden and this building are now back in your service.”

Sir Keir has repeatedly blamed the previous government and said it is influencing his decision-making.

This includes the means testing of the winter fuel payments for pensioners.

Ahead of the speech, Conservatives Party chairman Richard Fuller said it would be “nothing but a performative speech to distract the public from the promises Starmer made that he never had any intention of keeping”.

The government’s claims of a £22bn “black hole” left by the Tories have been questioned following substantial pay awards to unions – including to both junior doctors and train drivers.

Sir Keir said that he “didn’t want to means test the winter fuel payment”, but that it was a choice that needed to be made to “protect the most vulnerable pensioners”.

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