LONDON

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday came under fire in parliament over tax policy, as opposition leader Kemi Badenoch accused him of breaking election pledges and failing to rule out a wealth tax, days before high-level UK–France talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.

During Prime Minister’s Questions, Badenoch pressed Starmer on whether he still stood by Labour’s manifesto pledge not to raise income tax, VAT or National Insurance on employees. Starmer answered: “Yes.”

Badenoch responded by accusing the prime minister of “flirting” with a wealth tax, claiming his refusal to rule it out signaled a shift in position. Starmer later said: “We can't just tax our way to growth.”

Badenoch continued: “The whole House would have heard him fail to rule out freezing tax thresholds.” Those thresholds, which determine when taxpayers enter higher brackets, had been frozen under Conservative governments, dragging more earners into higher tax bands.

“The Budget has created a domino effect which he cannot now control,” Badenoch said, criticizing what she called a government “patting itself on the back” while “nobody out there believes it.” She added: “You cannot tax your way to growth.”

She claimed the previous Conservative government had handed Labour “the fastest growing economy,” but that under Starmer “taxes, unemployment and inflation are up.”

Starmer defended his party’s record, pointing to Labour’s achievements during its first year in office and accusing the opposition of lacking alternatives. “They complain about the same thing every week but don't have the courage to say that they would reverse the policies themselves,” he said.

Badenoch also attacked the Labour leader over rising council tax, citing a past statement in which Starmer promised “not a penny more.” She referenced new findings from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showing council tax bills are rising at their fastest pace in two decades.

“Will the Prime Minister admit that under his leadership, council taxes are set to soar?” she asked. Starmer replied that council tax “soared under the last government” and again challenged the opposition to present their own solutions.

The heated exchanges came ahead of Macron’s three-day state visit to the UK, during which small boat crossings are expected to dominate talks.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called on the prime minister to tie any new funding for France to concrete outcomes. “Any further funding for France should be conditional on a removals agreement,” he said.

Starmer responded: “We will only provide funding that will deliver on their priorities,” noting that the current administration is “sharing more intelligence than the government before them did.” He added that details would be discussed during meetings with Macron on Wednesday and Thursday.