Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLee Anderson has been suspended from the Conservative Party after a racist rant about Sadiq Khan on GB News.In a stunning fall from grace for Mr Anderson, who until last month was the deputy chairman of the party, he will no longer sit as a Tory MP.It follows Mr Anderson’s refusal to apologise over a widely criticised interview in which he said “Islamists” have “got control” of Mr Khan.In an appearance on GB News, Mr Anderson said: “I don’t actually believe that the Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London… He’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.”Lee Anderson has had the Tory whip suspended (PA)Asked about the comments, Mr Khan said: “These comments from a senior Conservative are Islamophobic, are anti Muslim and are racist.”And, piling pressure on Rishi Sunak to suspend Mr Anderson, he said: “Racism is racism, I’m unclear why Rishi Sunak and members of his cabinet aren’t calling this out or condemning this.“It’s like they’re complicit in this sort of racism. And I think the message it sends is, Muslims are fair game.” And Mr Khan pointed to figures showing a spike in anti-Muslim hate incidents in recent months, adding that Mr Anderson’s comments “pour fuel on the fire”.A spokesperson for Tory chief whip Simon Hart said the decision had been made following the former Tory deputy chairman’s “refusal to apologise” for the remarks made on Friday.Mr Anderson said in a statement: “Following a call with the chief whip, I understand the difficult position that I have put both he and the prime minister in with regard to my comments. I fully accept that they had no option but to suspend the whip in these circumstances.”Mr Anderson bizarrely went on to promise he would “continue to support the Government’s efforts to call out extremism in all its forms – be that anti-semitism or Islamophobia”.Labour party chairman Anneliese Dodds said Mr Anderson’s comments were “unambiguously Islamophobic, divisive and damaging”.Responding to his suspendion, she said: “It is right that he has had the whip removed, but the suggestion that Lee Anderson would have retained the confidence of the prime minister, simply if he apologised, is deeply concerning. “These views are wrong, full stop, and there shouldn’t be conditions on removing them from your party.”Speculation immediately mounted that Mr Anderson would seek to join Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, formerly the Brexit Party. The insurgent party previously denied claims that it offered money to Mr Anderson to defect to the party, but it is believed he could contest his Ashfield seat, where he has a majority of just under 6,000, at the general election. It would be a major blow for Mr Sunak if Mr Anderson joined Reform. The party already threatens to scupper Tory hopes in tens of seats at the election, and the outspoken MP, a favourite on the Tory right, could convince even more former Conservative voters to switch parties.But, asked about the speculation, Reform leader Richard Tice said he was “not interested in pathetic Tory squabbling”.Pressure had been mounting on the prime minister to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MPPressure had been mounting on the prime minister to take action over the comments from the Ashfield MP, with Mr Khan saying the “deafening silence” of the Mr Sunak and his cabinet amounted to condoning racism.A Conservative source was defending Mr Anderson as recently as Friday evening before he was stripped of party support on Saturday.A spokesperson for Mr Hart said: “Following his refusal to apologise for comments made yesterday, the Chief Whip has suspended the Conservative whip from Lee Anderson MP.”The PM is also under pressure to remove the whip from his predecessor Liz Truss, who was interviewed by Steve Bannon and remained silent as he hailed far-right figure Tommy Robinson a “hero”.Ms Truss was slammed by former chancellor Sajid Javid, who said “I’d hope every MP would confront such a statement head on”. “Liz should really know better,” Sir Sajid added. And Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth accused Ms Truss of an “unforgivable lowering of the office of prime minister”.On Saturday morning, cabinet minister Grant Shapps appeared to distance himself from the comments by Mr Anderson, but defended the controversial backbencher’s right to “speak (his) mind”.But left-wing Labour MP Dawn Butler, chairman of the London Parliamentary Labour Party, has written alongside fellow London Labour MPs to the prime minister calling for “immediate action” over Mr Anderson’s comments.Ms Butler said the comments were “Islamaphobic and hateful” and “fuel the flames” of division in society, calling for Mr Anderson to have the Tory whip removed.And Labour demanded “serious, concrete action” from the Conservatives to “finally root out Islamophobia” after the comments.In a letter to Tory Chairman Richard Holden, Ms Dodds said Mr Anderson’s comments are “the tip of iceberg” and follow a “deeply concerning pattern of Islamophobic comments tolerated and Islamophobia not dealt with” within the party.She cited examples of Islamophobia within the Conservative Party including London mayoral candidate Susan Hall’s claim in October that Jewish people in London are “frightened” of Mr Khan’s “divisive attitude”.She also cited an investigation into allegations made by Nus Ghani that she was told that her “Muslimness” was “making colleagues uncomfortable” when she was sacked from the Government in 2020.Ms Dodds had said: “Lee Anderson’s comments were unambiguously Islamophobic and Rishi Sunak’s failure to suspend the whip or take any other action speaks volumes.” Mr Sunak made Mr Anderson Tory deputy chairman last February in a bid to connect with and hold onto so-called Red Wall voters who helped the party win under Boris Johnson in 2019. But the Ashfield MP’s repeated controversial remarks often proved awkward for the PM and other ministers forced to defend them. He resigned as deputy chairman in January as part of a major rebellion against Mr Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill, believing the legislation did not go far enough to allow Britain to deport asylum seekers to the east African nation. Business minister Nus Ghani described fellow Tory MP Mr Anderson’s claim that “Islamists” have “got control” of Mr Khan as “foolish and dangerous”.In a post on X, she said: “I have spoken to Lee Anderson. I’ve called out Islamic extremism (& been attacked by hard left, far right & Islamists).“I don’t for one moment believe that Sadiq Khan is controlled by Islamists. To say so, is both foolish and dangerous. Frankly this is all so tiring…” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailReform UK has set out a drastic set of tax-cutting measures in a bid to further woo disgruntled Tory voters.The former Brexit Party, set up by Nigel Farage, outlined plans to raise the threshold to charge the higher 40p rate of income tax from £50,000 to £70,000.As it continues piling pressure on Rishi Sunak, Reform also promised to raise the threshold for the basic rate of income tax from £12,570 to £20,000.And, in what would mark one of the biggest tax shakeups in a generation, the party said it would hike the stamp duty threshold, abolish inheritance tax for estates worth less than £2m and slash corporation tax.Reform gained 13 per cent of the vote in Wellingborough and 10 per cent in Kingswood, as the party eats into the Tory vote With the support of less than a tenth of the electorate, Reform’s proposals are unlikely ever to come to fruition. But the offering will serve as red meat to Conservatives upset at the record-high tax burden and soaring migration levels.Pollsters have already warned that Reform will cause chaos for the Tories at the general election, expected this autumn, splitting the right-wing vote in tens of seats.Any additional gains among those who backed Boris Johnson’s Conservatives in 2019 will add to the electoral headache for Mr Sunak – even if Reform fails to pick up a single seat.Ahead of a rally in Doncaster to set Reform on an election footing, Richard Tice, who succeeded Mr Farage as leader, launched his latest attack on the Conservatives.He wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “The Tories have betrayed us all by raising taxes, wasting money. We must reward the workers and the strivers, not the shirkers and skivers.“Sadly, the UK is in a dire situation and major reforms are urgently needed to save ourselves. I am today setting these out as we launch Our Contract with You at our Spring conference in Doncaster.“Britain has so much potential. Our country is full of talent and energy. Brexit is the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet weak leadership and failed management has led us to the edge of the precipice.”He added: “The Tories have broken Britain. Labour will bankrupt Britain. Starmergeddon awaits. Neither of them recognises how bad things are or has a credible plan to grow us out of this mess.”Reform matched its poll rating of around 10 per cent for the first time this month in by-elections in Kingswood and Wellingborough, suggesting it is on course to cause real trouble for Mr Sunak.There is also mounting speculation that Mr Farage, the party’s honorary president, will take on a formal campaigning role in Reform’s election campaign. Mr Farage is seen as one of the country’s savviest political operators, and his involvement with the party would only wil over more disgruntled Tories and Brexit supporters.Mr Tice has previously promised to stop mass immigration, scrap net zero measures,and help solve the cost of living crisis.The other policies promised in the party’s manifesto are a 20 per cent “tax relief” on private education and healthcare, a “freeze” on “non-essential immigration” and leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. More

Grant Shapps has warned of “fatal” consequences if western countries give up on Ukraine.”The rest of the world – other regimes – will be looking at this and saying, ‘does the West just get bored after a couple of years?'” the defence secretary said, speaking to BBC Breakfast on the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion.“If we do, that will be fatal… it matters to use because the world won’t be safe unless we stop a tyrant like [Vladimir] Putin.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailConservative MP Lee Anderson has been accused of racism and Islamophobia after claiming that “Islamists have control” of London’s mayor Sadiq Khan. Speaking on GB News, the Tory MP for Ashfield said that Mr Khan had “given our capital city away to his mates”. In a rant on Friday evening, he said: “I don’t actually believe that these Islamists have got control of our country, but what I do believe is they’ve got control of Khan and they’ve got control of London. Again, this stems with Khan, he’s actually given our capital city away to his mates.“If you let Labour in through the back door, expect more of this and expect our cities to be taken over by these lunatics.”Anderson accused Sadiq Khan of giving ‘our capital city away to his mates’ Mr Khan, who has been in his position since May 2016, is London’s first Muslim mayor. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said Mr Anderson’s comments were “divisive and dangerous”.Mr Streeting said on X: “The Conservatives have gone beyond the dogwhistle playbook of previous mayoral elections to outright racism and Islamophobia. Enough is enough. Is this really what your Party stands for @RishiSunak @RicHolden?”Mr Anderson is even facing criticism from his own party, with Sajid Javid tweeting: “A ridiculous thing to say” in response to a clip of the programme. And former Tory MP and Theresa May’s former chief of staff Gavin Barwell added: “A despicable slur on @SadiqKhan and Londoners. “In his first speech as PM, @RishiSunak said he would “unite our country”. If he allows the likes of Anderson to spread hate and division like this, those words will be revealed as a sham.” The Liberal Democrat’s mayoral candidate Rob Backie called for him to lose the Tory whip, and accused Mr Anderson of “spreading dangerous conspiracy theories”. Tan Dhesi, the shadow exports minister, said: “Given the recent spike in Islamophobia and antisemitism, and the febrile atmosphere in our country, it’s deplorable that an elected MP can openly make such incendiary and divisive statements; especially against Sadiq Khan, who has done so much to foster community cohesion and tackle hate crime.”Mr Anderson was deputy chair of the Conservative party until January, when he resigned over the vote on the government’s Rwanda deportation policy.In response to his comments, a Tory source said: “Lee was simply making the point that the mayor, in his capacity as PCC [police crime commissioner] for London, has abjectly failed to get a grip on the appalling examples of extremism we have seen in London recently.”Also adding to the criticism, Labour’s shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds said: “Lee Anderson’s comments are unambiguously racist and Islamophobic. “Rishi Sunak needs to immediately remove the whip. If he is too weak, then people will take their own view of the modern Conservative Party.”Labour Brent Central MP Dawn Butler added: “This divisive rubbish is straight from the right wing racist rule book. Inciting racial hatred is a criminal offence. @RishiSunak there’s been an 335% increase in Islamaphobia why is your party encouraging hate & lies? Islamophobia encouraged by Tories.”A London Labour source told The Independent: “This sort of vile Islamophobia is exactly how the Tories campaigned against Sadiq Khan in 2016. Surely they will not tolerate it this time round?”In the same GB News appearance with political reporter Chris Hope, Mr Anderson engaged in a heated debate over police intervention on pro-Palestinian protesters.“Ultimately we run the country, and if the police aren’t doing their job – and they’re not doing their job … we need to step in and take over,” he said. Mr Anderson, Mr Khan and the Conservative Party have been contacted for comment. More

Nigel Farage brought up his banking row in a speech to American conservatives at CPAC, eight months after first accusing Coutts, which is owned by NatWest, of deciding to close his account because it did not agree with his political views.The debacle resulted in the resignations of NatWest’s and Coutts’ bosses, Dame Alison Rose and Peter Flavel.NatWest admitted to “serious failings” in its treatment of Mr Farage and issued an apology, but said its decision to shut down his account was lawful and had been made predominately for commercial reasons.”Woke corporate culture is keen on cancelling people, and this includes our banking system,” Mr Farage said on Friday (23 February). More

SNP and Conservative MPs walk out of the Commons over the speaker’s handling of the Gaza voteSign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has said it is “unacceptable” for protesters to demonstrate outside MPs’ homes as Downing Street said protest must not “turn into abuse”. Speaking during a tour of North Wales on Friday, the prime minister said: “It’s simply unacceptable for intimidation or aggressive behaviour to threaten our parliamentary democracy and our freedom of expression.”He added that he is giving police more power to clamp down on “intimidation and aggressive behaviour”. A No 10 spokesperson said: “We will continue to keep MPs’ security under review to ensure that they have the protections that they need. We’re also both clear that we won’t allow democracy to be silenced or stifled.“And intimidation against MPs is an attack on democracy and we won’t allow that to win.”James Cleverly also vowed to be vigilant against threats and pressure on MPs after Sir Lindsay Hoyle argued his actions in the Gaza ceasefire vote were motivated by concern about security. More than 70 Conservative and SNP MPs signed a no-confidence motion in Sir Lindsay in the aftermath. Show latest update 1708728878We’re pausing our live coverage of the fallout from the Commons chaos this week, but keep checking independent.co.uk for the latest updates. Sam Rkaina23 February 2024 22:541708714815Is the integrity of parliament being destroyed by the Commons speaker – and will he have to go?Lindsay Hoyle must know that he cannot afford to alienate the party that is likely to form a government by the end of the year, writes John Rentoul. That may be disgraceful – but it is politics:Lindsay Hoyle bungled it, as he admitted in a near-tearful statement from the speaker’s chair last night. “It ended up in the wrong place,” he said.He can say that again. He changed the rules yesterday to allow a vote on Labour’s “immediate ceasefire with conditions” amendment, which meant Keir Starmer avoided a rebellion by his more pro-Palestinian MPs.The speaker might have got away with it. He argued that he was trying to allow each of the three main parties a chance to vote on their own policy, which would have been perfectly reasonable had it not been for two things.Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 19:001708713015Police ‘need powers to disperse threatening protests outside Parliament’Police should have the powers to “disperse” protests around Parliament, MPs’ offices and council chambers that they deem to be threatening, the Government’s political violence tsar has said.Baron Walney, the UK Government’s adviser on political violence and disruption, said the “aggressive intimidation of MPs” by “mobs” was being “mistaken” for an “expression of democracy”.The comments by Lord Walney come as the issue of MP safety has once again reared its head this week following a chaotic debate on the Israel-Hamas war.Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 18:301708711215Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 18:001708709415Who is Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons speaker embroiled in the Gaza ceasefire vote row?Hoyle claims he made his decision to allow the “widest possible range of options” to be considered. In an unlikely union, many SNP and Conservative MPs have called for his resignation, lodging accusations of bias towards his former party.Here’s everything you need to know about the Commons speaker, his life and political career:Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 17:301708707615‘A race to the bottom for politics’: British Muslim and Palestinian groups criticise Commons chaosThe controversy was sparked when Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle broke convention to allow MPs to vote on a Labour amendment to the SNP’s Gaza ceasefire motion, sparking anger which has resulted in more than 70 MPs voting a no-confidence motion against him.As the uproar in Westminster continues, organisations pushing for an immediate ceasefire have accused parliament of losing sight of the war through political games, as Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry estimates more than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed during the conflict.Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 17:001708706499More than 70 MPs sign no confidence motion in SpeakerMore than 70 MPs have now signed a motion expressing no confidence in the Speaker after angry scenes in the Commons on Wednesday.Senior Conservatives and Scottish National Party MPs have put their names to the “early day motion” proposed by senior Tory William Wragg in a move intended to pressure the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, to step down.On Friday afternoon, the total number of signatures stood at 71, including Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative backbenchers, former Tory deputy chairmen Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith, the SNP’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and his deputy Mhairi Black.More than half of the SNP’s Westminster contingent have signed the motion, reflecting anger in the party at the Speaker’s handling of its opposition day motion on Wednesday, while 40 Conservatives and one Independent, former Tory Rob Roberts, have joined them.Environmental Audit Committee chairman Philip Dunne appeared to have signed the motion but then withdrew his signature shortly afterwards.The total means that more than 10% of the Commons has backed the call for Sir Lindsay to step down, but the momentum behind Mr Wragg’s motion appears to have slowed with only four names being added to the list on Friday.Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 16:411708704077Cleverly backs Hoyle as almost 70 MPs sign call for Speaker to quitHome Secretary James Cleverly gave his personal backing to Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle despite criticism of his handling of a Gaza ceasefire debate.The Speaker gained the support of the senior Cabinet minister even as he faced continued pressure to step down.Nearly 70 MPs, more than a tenth of the Commons, have signed a motion proposed by senior Conservative William Wragg expressing no confidence in him after Wednesday’s SNP Opposition Day vote descended into chaos.Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 16:011708702317Welsh Conservative leader pledges to stop 20mph speed limits The Welsh Conservative leader has pledged to scrap 20mph default speed limits if they got into power. Speaking at the Welsh Conservative Conference in Llandudno, Andrew RT Davies said: “We’ll scrap Labour and Plaid’s barmy 20mph speed limits – to get Wales moving and stop the Welsh economy suffering a £9 billion hit.”He added: “Labour wants to make Wales the place where common sense goes to die. And that is most clear when we look at Labour and Plaid’s barmy 20mph speed limits.“This idea, dreamed up by lycra-clad lobbyists, has now become law in Wales. It’s common sense that outside schools and hospitals – 20mph should be the speed limit.“But Labour and Plaid’s policy is extreme.“They’ve admitted it’ll hit the Welsh economy by up to £9 billion. They’ve imposed it on Wales regardless.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 15:311708700130No 10 brands threats towards MPs an ‘attack on democracy’ Downing Street declined to say whether Rishi Sunak supports protest exclusion zones around MPs’ offices. A No 10 spokeswoman told reporters on Friday: “I’m just not going to get into specifics around protective security and arrangements…“We will continue to keep MPs’ security under review to ensure that they have the protections that they need. We’re also both clear that we won’t allow democracy to be silenced or stifled.“And intimidation against MPs is an attack on democracy and we won’t allow that to win.”Maryam Zakir-Hussain23 February 2024 14:55 More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailHousehold energy bills are set to fall to their lowest point in two years, with Ofgem announcing this week it will lower its price cap by 12.3 per cent.The regulator’s new price cap, which will come into effect in April, will see the average household gas and electricity bill fall from the current £1,928 in England, Scotland and Wales to £1,690 – a drop of around £20 a month, or £238 a year.Ofgem said the drop would see energy prices reach their lowest level since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which caused a spike in an already turbulent wholesale energy market, driving up costs for suppliers and customers.The typical household’s energy bill is forecast to fall from £1,928 per year to £1,690 from AprilWhile this is considerably lower than the record high of £4,059 for an average bill in early 2023, prices still remain well above the average of £993 which households were paying two years prior.So with bills still nearly double what they were three years ago, and turbulence in Ukraine and the Middle East liable to keep wholesale prices high, what are the major parties proposing to help households with the cost of energy?The ConservativesThe government has sought to shield households from some of the most severe price rises with its Energy Bills Support scheme, which provided a £400 discount, but that came to an end last June.To help fund this, ministers had implemented a windfall tax on the profits of fossil fuel companies, after facing mounting pressure to do so. Ministers said last June the tax had raised more than £2.8bn, and saved a typical household nearly £1,500 on energy bills.But experts warn that the government’s tax relief loophole for new North Sea projects has made it cheaper for companies to extract harmful fossil fuels.The government is offering fossil fuel giants tax relief on new North Sea projects In October, the government’s Energy Act also received royal assent, which the government says incentivises the energy industry to invest in low-carbon heat pumps, and includes powers to deliver a planned smart meter rollout by 2028, which ministers claim could save households £5.6bn.The new legislation also expands Ofgem’s remit, allowing the regulator to set rules on excessive energy pricing and adds a specific mandate for it to support the government meet its legal obligation to get to net zero by 2050.But it was also reported by Politico this week that the government is considering plans to raise household energy bills to help pay for a new £20bn nuclear energy plant in Suffolk, Sizewell C.While energy policy has been a key plank of Labour’s offering in recent years, Sir Keir Starmer has drastically scaled down his party’s plans by ditching a policy of spending £28bn a year on environmental projects.The party’s plans to cut energy bills by giving 19 million people warmer homes in a decade could now take up to 14 years to achieve, Sir Keir said earlier this month – with Labour now promising to insulate only 5 million properties by 2030. Sir Keir Starmer’s party claims its plans will create 500,000 jobs The party is now set to spend £23.7bn over the course of the next five-year parliament, on top of the £10bn a year it says the government has already committed to.Labour has also pledged to enforce a “proper” windfall tax on energy companies, matching the rate imposed by Norway, which it claims would raise £10.8bn over five years, earmarked for green investment.Sir Keir has previously pledged to create a new publicly owned body called Great British Energy, which would invest in clean energy, including “by making the UK a world leader in floating offshore wind”.Labour claims its plans would take hundreds of pounds off annual household energy bills, and would “rebuild Britain’s industrial strength by creating half a million new jobs. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s hopes of enticing voters with a tax giveaway have been dealt a major blow as new polling by the Fairness Foundation revealed that Britons are not supportive of tax cuts if they mean cuts to public spending. In the survey, 64 per cent of voters support keeping taxes as they are or increasing them, while just 16 per cent say they want tax cuts if it means cutting public services.The poll comes just as chancellor Jeremy Hunt prepares the ground for the government’s spring Budget.Even among Conservatives, the proportion of voters who back tax cuts, 17 per cent, is vastly outweighed by those who want to see public spending maintained (50 per cent) or even increased (23 per cent).The prime minister is under pressure from Tory colleagues to slash taxes Over the past few weeks, speculation has been rampant regarding the chancellor’s plans, with suggestions that Mr Hunt may drastically reduce public spending by billions of pounds to facilitate pre-election tax cuts in next month’s Budget. This proposed action has been met with a stern warning from the International Monetary Fund, which deemed the planned spending cuts as unrealistic following a downgrade in its growth forecasts.Adding to the chancellor’s challenges is the sobering revelation that Britain entered a technical recession last week after the economy contracted for the fourth quarter in a row. Regardless, Mr Hunt and Mr Sunak find themselves under mounting pressure from Tory backbenchers to commit to tax cuts in a bid to reverse their electoral fortunes, as they currently lag behind Labour in the polls.The Fairness Foundation poll also showed that there is public appetite for tax reform, as just over half of those polled also support a high-earners minimum tax rate, which would bring in at least a 35 per cent tax rate for anyone earning over £100,000.These proposals come as it was revealed that the prime minister paid the same tax rate as a teacher on his total income last year due to lower rates of tax on income earned from wealth.Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has signalled that tax cuts should be expected in the Spring statement Two in three people also think income from wealth should be taxed at the same rate or a higher rate than income from work, while twice as many people support proposals to reform inheritance tax reliefs as oppose them, showing there is public support for ending unfair exemptions.Fifty-four per cent of Conservative voters support proposals to invest more public money in HMRC compliance, with only 17 per cent opposed.Will Snell, chief executive of the Fairness Foundation, said: “These findings make it very clear that the British public want to see well-funded schools and hospitals, not the unpopular and harmful tax cuts that the government is considering.“With NHS waiting times at astronomical highs, it’s no surprise that people don’t want even more austerity-era slashes to the services they rely on daily, while wealthy individuals like Rishi Sunak pay tax at the same rates as a teacher.“This polling shows that British people support making tax fairer. Even Conservative voters believe in a high-earners minimum tax rate that would level the playing field and see everyone earning over £100,000 annually pay a higher-than-average rate of tax, no matter how they make their money.”The polling company Opinium questioned 2,134 adults. More