UK Tax Policy Mid-Terms: How the Parties Stack Up (An Intro)

UK Tax Policy Mid-Terms: How the Parties Stack Up (An Intro)

Introduction to a Six-Part Series

The Report Card

Two years ago, I reviewed every major party’s tax manifesto ahead of the 2024 general election.

Labour was in “not buggering it up” mode.

Reform promised £90 billion in tax cuts.

The Conservatives offered fiscal flotsam from a sinking ship.

The Greens were mad as badgers.

The Lib Dems were miso soup.

Restore Britain weren’t even a twinke in Rupert Lowe’s eye yet.

Labour won.

The others didn’t.

Now we’re at the mid-term. The council elections have come and gone. Westminster is in chaos. The economy remains the dominant issue.

It is therefore a perfect time to finally answer the question that matters… did anyone really mean what they said?

What We’re Measuring

This series examines each party’s tax position two years on:

For Labour: They’re in government. They have to actually do things. Did they keep their promises? What did they sneak in that wasn’t in the manifesto? And does “no tax rises on working people” mean what normal humans think it means?

For everyone else: They’re in opposition. They don’t have to deliver anything. But they do have to maintain coherent positions. Have they stuck to their 2024 platforms? Pivoted? Abandoned ship entirely?

The answers, as you’ll see, are revealing.

Coming Up

The full series publishes over the coming weeks. We’ll update this introduction with links as each piece goes live.

In the meantime, dig out your 2024 manifestos. The receipts are about to be checked.