Rees-Mogg: Burnham’s ‘political consensus’ is really ‘political blame’ when he tries to raise taxes

Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has accused Andy Burnham of trying to use “consensus” on social care to break Labour’s 2024 manifesto.

Speaking on GB News he said: “We’re getting more and more of the touchy-feely, hopey stuff. We even had the Prime Minister saying, ‘I’m not going to use my text. I’m going to speak from the heart’, which is one of the cheapest oratorical tricks of all time.

“What he wants to do with social care is important but expensive. There is a problem with social care. There is an unfairness that people who have saved and work hard spend their money, and that those who have frittered their money away get everything paid for them by the state.

“There is a difficulty with that because people save for their old age, but if other people get exactly the same in their old age who haven’t saved, it seems to fall unfairly on those who have, who’ve done the right thing.

“On the other hand, the cost is enormous. We’re talking about £18 billion if everyone’s to have social care paid for by the state. And is that right anyway? Why is it better that money should be inherited?

“I’m a believer in inheritance but also that it should be spent for its purpose, on giving people a comfortable old age. That, after all, is the primary reason why people save.

“But then we come to the clever politics of what’s going on at the moment, inviting in the Conservatives and the Lib Dems to try and ensure that there is, if not political consensus, at least political blame.

“So that when they don’t agree, or at least the Conservatives don’t agree with whatever comes up, Andy Burnham can say ‘you’ve broken the consensus.’

“And what will be the agreement? It will be trying to get everyone to agree to increasing taxes. So it’s not us. We’re not breaking our manifesto. No, of course not. But there is a consensus that we have to pay for this, and the only way to pay for it is by increasing income tax or national insurance.

“This, of course, is exactly what Gordon Brown did when he increased national insurance contributions on employers, employees, and the self-employed by 1% to fund an enormous increase in expenditure in the NHS.

“So there’s already the playbook for this, but I think it’s been done badly. I think it’s too see-through that we now know to expect that it’ll be used to increase taxation, and excluding Reform is just stupid. It plays into Nigel Farage’s hands.

“He can point to the ‘Uni Party’, the old parties, all caballing together, but Reform, which gets about 25% in the polls at the moment has been up as high as a third, is excluded. Cut them out, cut the Greens out, cut out the challengers. Just keep the cosy club.

“I doubt the Conservatives will fall for it. Kemi has very wisely said she won’t agree to something that comes out of increased taxation. But it’s politics wrapped up as consensus on a heartrending issue. I wouldn’t trust him an inch.”