Senior Tories pledge not to support any new tax hikes raised in Jeremy Hunt’s upcoming Autumn statement

• Former prime minister Liz Truss and Priti Patel among 33 MPs to sign the letter

Senior Tory MPs last night vowed not to back Jeremy Hunt’s upcoming Autumn statement if it contains tax rises.

A group of 33 Conservative MPs, including former prime minister Liz Truss and ex-party chairman Sir Jake Berry, have signed a pledge vowing to not ‘vote for or support any new taxes that increase the overall tax burden’.

Sir Jake – chairman of the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs – warned that the Treasury ‘cannot tax the economy back to health’.

Calling for support from other Tory candidates, he added: ‘We have decided to send a clear signal to our constituents that we will not vote for any further tax rises.’

The move follows a report that found Parliament will have presided over the biggest set of tax increases since at least the Second World War.

A group of 33 MPs including former prime minister Liz Truss and ex-party chairman Sir Jake Berry have signed a letter saying they will not support new tax rises

By the time of the next general election, taxes are likely to have risen to around 37 per cent of national income, according to analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

Ms Truss, who is also among the signatories, posted on X, formerly Twitter: ‘We should always seek to reduce the tax burden, especially when there’s so much pressure on family budgets.’

Others who have backed the pledge include former ministers Sir Brandon Lewis, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and former Home Secretary Dame Priti Patel. 

Speaking on GB News yesterday, Dame Priti said: ‘The burden of tax has to start to come down. That’s the space that we need to be in. Reduce the size of the state and ensure that people keep more of their income.

‘This is just a fundamental Conservative principle we must stand by.’

Another signatory, Dame Priti Patel, said that reducing the tax burden and reducing the size of the state was a ‘fundamental Conservative principle’ 

A senior Tory source told The Times that the pledge marks the start of a public battle which could block support for the Chancellor’s Autumn statement if taxes are increased.

The Treasury has so far resisted all calls for tax cuts because of rampant inflation. 

And when asked yesterday if he could commit to no further tax rises from the Government, Treasury minister Andrew Griffiths told Times Radio he could not, adding: ‘Look, I don’t think any responsible Treasury minister is going to give you that commitment.’

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