London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Kwasi Kwarteng: I want to keep cutting taxes

Kwasi Kwarteng: I want to keep cutting taxes

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has said he wants to keep cutting taxes as part of an effort to boost UK economic growth.

After announcing a massive shake-up of taxation on Friday, Mr Kwarteng told the BBC there was "more to come".

The government wants to bolster the economy amid concerns the UK may already be in recession.

Ministers also plan to allow more migrant workers in some sectors as part of its growth strategy - in order to address labour shortages.

A government source told the BBC ministers would set out plans to change migration rules before the end of the year.

Mr Kwarteng announced the biggest package of tax cuts in 50 years on Friday, which included scrapping the top rate of income tax.

The move drew criticism from Labour, which said the tax cuts would benefit the richest.

Many investors were also concerned about the package, with the pound sinking against the dollar to fresh 37-year lows, and UK-listed stocks falling.

But on Sunday, Mr Kwarteng denied the measures helped the rich more, and suggested further tax cuts were on the cards.

"We've actually put more money into people's pockets," he said. "We're bringing forward the cut in the basic rate [of income tax] and there's more to come.

"I want to see over the next year, people retain more of their income, because I believe it's the British people that are going to drive this economy," he said.

In its growth plan, the government said it had an "ambitious" programme to boost the economy which would include a review of the tax system to make it "simpler".

But former Conservative chancellor, Lord Kenneth Clarke, said the plan risked driving up inflation without helping the economy to grow.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's the World this Weekend programme, Lord Clarke said he did not accept the premise "that you make tax cuts for the wealthiest 5%, and it makes them work so much harder, and rush to invest, and it pays for itself or even attracts investment into the country".

"I'm afraid that's the kind of thing that's usually tried in Latin American countries without success," he said. "If it was so simple, we would have got rid of taxes altogether some time ago."

"What the increased spending power that you give to the better-off 5% is going to do, is run the risk of further stimulating inflation. And we're going into a serious inflationary recession this winter."


Migration measures


Meanwhile, a government source told the BBC Number 10 believed more skilled migration would support its plan for growth.

The source said: "We need to put measures in place so that we have the right skills that the economy, including the rural economy, needs to stimulate growth.

"That will involve increasing numbers in some areas and decreasing in others.

"As the prime minister has made clear, we also want to see people who are economically inactive get back into work."

Businesses have been asking for more visas for skilled workers to plug gaps in the UK workforce.

The shortage occupation list is expected to be expanded to help firms recruit overseas workers to deal with labour shortages.

The government is also looking at lifting the cap on seasonal workers, according to reports.

During her Conservative leadership campaign, Prime Minister Liz Truss said she would tackle farming labour shortages - partly caused by post-Brexit freedom of movement restrictions and exacerbated by the Covid pandemic - with a short-term expansion to the seasonal workers scheme.


Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng: "What I'm focused on, is tax cuts across the board"


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
×