Sir Keir Starmer has paved the way for manifesto-busting income tax rises on working people in a major political gamble to allow him to spend cash on the NHS and boost growth.

The Prime Minister dropped his insistence on Wednesday that Labour’s promise not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT “stands” as Downing Street sources argued that sticking to the pledge could mean a return to austerity .

Starmer refused to repeat the pledge, which has been a Labour mantra since the election, during Prime Minister’s Questions, as he blamed the previous Conservative government for worse-than-expected productivity forecasts leaving a black hole in the public finances . New Feature

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