National Insurance tax rise: Boris Johnson ‘wobbling’ on tax hike plans - will the increase go ahead?

Boris Johnson is said to be wavering on controversial plans to raise National Insurance.

The Prime Minister is under pressure from some Conservative MPs to scrap the tax hike to win back support.

It comes as he awaits the findings of the highly-anticipated report into the partygate allegations which could be a pivotal moment for his premiership.

Will the Prime Minister delay the National Insurance hike?

Mr Johnson is considering delaying the rise for a year as “red meat” for his critics on the right of the party, The Times reported citing a Government source.

They reportedly said: “He’s wobbling, I think he would do anything to survive.”

On the subject of the national insurance rise, another source is said to have told The Times: “It looks like [Johnson] is back-sliding because of the pressure he’s under on partygate.

“It has never been popular among the right of the party and it’s that group Boris is most worried about. The Treasury view is that Johnson should hold his nerve.”

The Treasury is becoming increasingly alarmed that the Prime Minister may be preparing to scrap the tax hike, The Guardian reported.

A host of senior Conservatives, along with businesses, have called for the proposed increase of 1.25 percentage point to be scrapped in the face of cost of living pressures, with inflation at a 30-year high and the energy price cap due to lift in the spring.

The Daily Mail reported that wavering rebels have been urging Mr Johnson to abandon the planned hike to win back their support over his handling of the Downing Street partygate allegations.

What has been said about the tax rise?

Mr Johnson said on Thursday (27 January) that the tax rise was “absolutely vital” as “every penny will go towards fixing the Covid backlogs and also social care”.

Asked to guarantee the increase would still come into effect in April, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said there were “no plans to delay the levy”.

Meanwhile, Defence minister James Heappey told BBC’s Question Time programme: “You’ll have noticed the top of the Government is in listening mode at the moment.

“There are plenty of people that are on good salaries that are starting to worry about how they’re going to make ends meet and the Government is seeking to address that. We’re going to need to do a lot over the next few years to help people with this.”

When will Sue Gray’s report be published?

The inquiry by senior civil servant Sue Gray has yet to be submitted to No 10, with legal and human resources officials scrutinising it before it can be sent to Downing Street for publication.

The announcement of a Metropolitan Police investigation into some of the alleged parties, which in part is based on evidence uncovered in the Gray inquiry, has complicated the process.

Police and officials are said to be looking at whether anything in the report could prejudice a criminal case.

The Prime Minister denied that he had been involved in delaying it, telling reporters: “Absolutely not but you’ve got to let the independent inquiries go on.”

He also committed to making a statement to MPs once he has received the report and said he would publish it “in full”.

It remains a possibility that Ms Gray’s report is delivered on Friday (28 January), even though no Government business is scheduled in the Chamber.

However, with the legal checks now going on, it raises the prospect of the process dragging into next week.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the PA news agency: “The Sue Gray report needs to be published in full and as soon as possible.

“And I mean in full – not redacted, not edited, not a summary, not parts left out. In full.”

He said that after the sacrifices made by the British public during the pandemic “the least that they’re entitled to is the truth about what the Prime Minister was up to”.

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