North Herefordshire MP oppose tax rises

Sir Bill Wiggin has added his name to a list of Conservative MPs vowing to oppose tax rises.

The North Herefordshire MP is among 33 in the party including former prime minister Liz Truss and former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith who pledged “not to vote for or support any new taxes that increase the overall tax burden”.

The move came on the eve of the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, which runs from yesterday (October 1) until Wednesday October 4.

Tory party chairman Sir Jake Berry, who initiated the pledge, said a high-growth economy “cannot happen with further tax increases when they are already at a 75-year high”.

But over the weekend, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak refused to rule out tax rises ahead of the next General Election, which could be as soon as next spring.

He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that his party’s priority would instead be to tackle inflation, “which is a tax, and which is making people feel poorer”.