Former Labour leader and prime minister Sir Tony Blair has called on Sir Keir Starmer’s new Labour government to take an additional £50 billion ($63.9 billion) in tax from the public.
Blair, a mentor to Prime Minister Starmer, says the hikes may be necessary in a report by his institute.
Starmer’s Chancellor (Treasury Secretary), Rachel Reeves, has already signaled a review of public finances, claiming the situation is worse than she expected—and sparking fears the new administration is laying the groundwork for tax rises.
Blair’s report emphasizes the importance of harnessing artificial intelligence (AI) to boost productivity. It argues that without a substantial growth boost, Britain will have to increase the tax burden by tens of billions of pounds by 2029 just to stabilize debt levels.
In his first days in office, Prime Minister Starmer has already axed the Conservatives’ Rwanda migrant deportation plan, canceling the deportations of thousands of illegal aliens.
The Rwandan government will not refund hundreds of millions of pounds given to them to prepare housing for the deportees and cover other costs associated with the scheme.
Starmer is also considering releasing as many as 40,000 prisoners early in order to ease overcrowding, endangering the public.