BBC Question Time: Moment Tory MP left speechless after being asked about Budget tax hikes

Welsh secretary David TC Davies had to deal with sharp questions from BBC Question Time host Fiona Bruce after claiming the 2p National Insurance cut would leave families better off

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Fiona Bruce quizzes David TC Davies on tax increases

A Tory MP was left struggling for words on BBC Question Time last night after Fiona Bruce asked him about the increase in tax burden following the budget.

The awkward exchange in Cardiff came after guest panellist Welsh secretary David TC Davies claimed that the 2p cut in National Insurance announced this week would “make a difference” to households across the UK.

On Thursday night’s edition of the long-running question-and-answer show, Fiona Bruce picked out this comment and asked: “When you say everyone who pays National Insurance will be better off, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, only people earning between £26,000 and £60,000 will be better off?”

Fiona Bruce quizzed David TC Davies on tax increases

He replied: “Anyone paying National Insurance will be paying less National Insurance”, but Fiona pointed out: “Yes, but they’ll be paying more tax overall. That’s according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies unless you disagree with that?”

The Conservative MP appeared to simply return to his previous point about the reduction in the National Insurance rate, before adding: “I’ll have to look at the figures”. Fiona Bruce finished the discussion by remarking: “Plenty of people have, and that’s the conclusion they’ve come to”.

The Tory MP had claimed the 2p National Insurance cut would ‘make a difference’ to households across the UK

The thinktank had said in their budget response that the cut in National Insurance contributions from 10% to 8% would give back only “a portion of the money that is being taken away through other income tax” and other changes, such as multi-year freezes to tax thresholds while inflation is still high.

Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute of Fiscal Studies, said: “The big picture on tax remains much the same. Come the election, tax revenues will be 3.9% of national income, or around £100 billion, higher than at the time of the last election. This remains a parliament of record tax rises.

“While the OBR got a little more positive in its projections, the picture of living standards also remains dismal. On average, households will be worse off at the time of the next election than they were at the last, following nugatory real earnings growth.

Other topics discussed on Thursday night’s Question Time included the findings of the Angiolini Inquiry into PC murderer Wayne Couzens and the ongoing scandal over Government spending on PPE during the Covid pandemic.