British Prime Minister Sunak: ‘Idiots’ think government can cut taxes

Jack WolfJanuary 20, 2023

Oversight or slipping of the mask? British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the audience that since they weren’t “idiots” they would have a chance to see why he wouldn’t be cutting taxes anytime soon, leaving some reeling about the implied clear consequence.

Rishi Sunak and his Chancellor of the Exchequer (Minister of the Treasury) Jeremy Hunt — the dynamic duo who toppled the previous Conservative Party tax cut government Liz Truss in what many thought was a global upheaval — were touring economically disadvantaged areas on Thursday as the Prime Minister asked about tax cuts.

This is reported by a newspaper adjacent to the British Conservative Party. Daily Telegraph, the Prime Minister’s response was rather brief, telling his audience, “I want to cut your taxes… To be honest, I would like to do it tomorrow, but the reason we can’t is because you know all the reasons.” You are not idiots, you know what happened.”

Sunak went on to say that the government is shutting down the economy due to the coronavirus and the war in Ukraine, which means he cannot cut taxes.

Before allowing the British to keep more of their own money, Sunak said he had a list of things he would like to do first, saying he wants to get more funding for government departments, lower interest rates and get inflation under control.

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The comments, perhaps unsurprisingly, have caused some concern. Richard Theis, leader of the Reform Party – formerly Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party – said Sunak was showing his “consocialist” colors with the remark. Brexit Tory advocate John Redwood has questioned Sunak’s logic of cutting taxes only after the economy grows, pointing to the very long-term conservative view that it is tax cuts that drive the economy to growth, not the other way around.

Telegraph quoted John Longworth, former CEO of the British Chamber of Commerce and Member of the European Parliament (MEP), as saying that Sunak using words like “idiot” to describe those who advocate downsizing shows “desperation on his part” . .

“We have to cut taxes and regulation, stimulate the economy and entrepreneurship – and this will bring in tax revenues. It’s a strange situation we’re in when we have people at the top of government who don’t believe in growth. They should go and read Mrs Thatcher,” Longworth added.