Bricklayer leads furious backlash against benefits Britain | UK | News
A bricklayer who has worked in all kinds of conditions this winter has slammed Rachel Reeves in a sarcastic social media post: “Some days I want to give up but I have people counting on me on benefits.” This harrowing post against the Chancellor, who has been accused of splurging on welfare payments, was posted by bricklayer Don Daniels on his Instagram account and has since received nearly 100,000 likes.
Mr Daniels, 36, of Leeds, West Yorks, shared a video with his followers three days ago following Ms Reeves’s Budget, which lifted the two-child cap, giving larger families thousands of pounds in benefits and increasing the burden on taxpayers and businesses. Standing with his feet on some bricks in freezing conditions as snow fell around him, Mr Daniels wrote under his post, apparently addressing those not working. He said: “Stay home in the heat. My tax pays for you.”
Removing the two-child limit is expected to cost taxpayers around £3.1bn by 2029/30, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). Conservative Chancellor Mel Stride said protecting the border was a “responsible act” and described Ms Reeves’s autumn statement as a “Budget for prosperity, not for work”.
The Chancellor said in a speech in the despatch box in Parliament last week that he was “asking everyone to contribute” and was presenting a £30bn tax increase package.
Ms Reeves’s budget is said to hit middle-income earners the hardest, with tax increases and a freeze on the income tax threshold. Freezing the thresholds would result in 780,000 more basic rate, 920,000 higher rate and 4,000 more additional rate income taxpayers in 2029/30 as earnings rise over time. Scotland has a separate income tax system.
People have to pay 20% income tax if their earnings go above £12,570; The 40% band starts at £50,271 and the 45% band starts at £125,140. Speaking to The Guardian, the Chancellor defended his latest budget as “fair and necessary” and said more of the economic “burden” of his decisions should fall on the shoulders of the wealthy.
It appears that the majority of those who watched the video of those commenting on Mr Daniel’s social media post were not convinced that the Budget was fair. One person wrote: “Funny but also very real and a sad reflection of a broken Britain.”
Another added: “People in their 70s are still working full time, while people in their 20s are working for years.”
Another noted: “I’m 75, I’ve worked my whole life and I’m taxed out of my pension for these unfortunate souls.”
Elsewhere, Downing Street was forced to deny that the Chancellor had misled the public and markets by warning that tough decisions would be needed to plug the black hole in the public finances. There were warnings ahead of the budget that Rachel Reeves could face a £20bn shortfall in complying with her self-imposed financial rule of not borrowing for day-to-day expenses.
But a letter from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published on Friday revealed the Chancellor was informed as early as September 17 that current economic conditions meant the difference would be significantly smaller.
Later, in October, he was informed that the spending deficit had been completely closed. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the letter showed Ms Reeves was “lying to the public” and should be sacked.
Downing Street was asked on Friday whether Ms Reeves’ warnings that the OBR would make tough decisions despite its improved forecasts meant she was misleading the public and markets as the Budget approached.
“I do not accept this,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.
He added: “In his speech here (Downing Street) he talked about the challenges facing the country and made his decisions incredibly clear in the budget.”
