The children’s minister has admitted he does not know how much child benefit payments are in the latest gaffe to rock the Tory campaign.
David Jonhston was put up by the Conservatives on Friday morning to discuss the party’s latest election pledge, to let high earners keep more of their child benefit if Rishi Sunak is re-elected.
But Mr Johnston, a parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Education, said he did not know what the child allowance was.
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In an excruciating exchange with LBC’s Nick Ferrari, the veteran broadcaster asked him: “Just for my listeners who are not familiar, so they can get full details, how much is child allowance?”
Mr Johnston said: “Err, that, I’m afraid, I don’t know. It’s actually not a Department for Education policy this. It’s a DWP one and I’m afraid I don’t know the exact.”
He then confirmed that his title is “minister for children”, adding that “you’re right [Nick], I should have found out before I came on here.”
“Well, look, I’m sorry that I didn’t know the amount of it. You are quite right about it,” he added.
Child benefit is paid at £25.60 per week for the eldest or only child, and £16.95 for a second child.
The embarrassing gaffe came as Mr Sunak made a grovelling apology for leaving the D-Day commemorations early to take part in a TV interview.
After being widely criticised for cutting short his visit to France the prime minister admitted today he had blundered.
He said: “It was a mistake and I apologise.”
Shadow paymaster general Jonathan Ashworth said: “The Prime Minister skipping off early from D-Day commemorations to record a television interview where he once again lied through his teeth is both an embarrassment and a total dereliction of duty.
“Our country deserves so much better than out-of-touch, desperate Rishi Sunak and his chaotic Tory Party.”
The Conservatives have promised to raise the high income child benefit tax charge threshold to £120,000 – and charge it to households rather than individuals.
Under existing rules, parents or parents’ partners start to lose child benefit if they earn more than the £60,000 threshold.
Once parents or their partners’ income tops £80,000, they cannot keep any of their child’s benefit.
The announcement follows a bitter row over Conservative and Labour tax pledges.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt claimed his party’s proposals could cut tax bills by an average of £1,500 for 700,000 families.
He said the scheme would “boost families’ financial security and give them more money to spend on the things that matter most”.
Mr Hunt added: “Raising the next generation is the most important job any of us can do so it’s right that, as part of our clear plan to bring taxes down, we are reducing the burden on working families.”
According to the Conservative Party, the change would “end the unfairness that means single-earner households can start paying the tax charge when a household with two working parents and a much higher total income can keep the child benefit in full”.
For example, a single parent who earns more than £60,000 begins to lose their benefit, but a two-parent household with a combined earning of £119,999 could keep it all.
Conservative finance chiefs have said “parents” would instead be treated as households, if they win the General Election.
Families or single earners would begin to lose their child benefit entitlement if they earn more than £120,000 – and would only face losing it all if they hit £160,000.
The party claims the proposal will cost £1.3 billion in 2029/30 – with the money set to come from a crackdown on tax avoidance and evasion.
The Tories hope to raise £6 billion from their proposed crackdown – with £1 billion already committed to a proposed new national service for 18-year-olds and £2.4 billion to the proposed pensions “triple lock plus”.
Mr Hunt said: “There is a clear choice for voters at this election: bold action to cut taxes for working families under the Conservatives, or a £2,094 tax rise to fill Labour’s £38.5 billion spending black hole.”
A Labour spokesman said it was another “chaotic scattergun announcement from Rishi Sunak, adding to his list of desperate and unfunded policies that he knows can’t be delivered”.
