John Birrell

Can I be honest with you? I didn’t want to start the programme talking about the Conservative claim that a Labour Government would cost you £2,000 in extra taxes. It’s obviously been disputed. Not just because it’s cumulative rather than annual – but because it’s based on an awful lot of assumptions, with some of the conclusions even being disowned by the authors who did the research. But look – I’m being sucked down the rabbit hole now too. There are two reasons I don’t want to talk about the £2,000 claim. The first is because the Conservatives WANT us to talk about it – because even if we’re discussing the fact the number is being disputed, we’re still talking about Labour putting up tax. But the second reason is even more important. The parties are both arguing about whether each others sums add up. Well… they don’t, do they? Both of them are promising they won’t raise income tax, national insurance, or VAT – three fifths of the total tax revenue. Nobody wants to borrow other than to invest. Health, schools and defence are all ring fenced from spending cuts in some form. I genuinely don’t understand how this all adds up. Not even close. Public spending projections after the next election have been described as a “fantasy” by economists – the tax burden is set to hit a historic high - and we’re spending more on debt interest payments than education. Forget about the quibbling over a few numbers here and there. Because it doesn’t seem to me like ANY party is being honest about just how difficult it will be after the election… and the kind of choices that the next Government will have to make – no matter who it turns out to be.