Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves Living the High Life While Struggling Brits Face Brutal Bill Shocks
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves don’t have to worry about April’s big bill increases because they live in homes partly paid for by taxpayers.
While people across the UK are facing higher energy, water, and council tax bills – which the Conservatives say could cost households an extra £1,000 Starmer and Reeves are protected from these rises.
This is on top of claims that Labour’s decision to raise employer National Insurance contributions has already cost workers over £3,500 in lost income.
As Prime Minister and Chancellor, they live in Downing Street apartments where they pay a fixed amount for rent and bills – about £3,000 each.
That’s only 10% of their ministerial salaries, and this amount doesn’t go up even if bills rise. Starmer earns £169,000 a year, and Reeves earns £161,000. They also get government cars with drivers, so fuel price hikes don’t affect them much either.
Meanwhile, most households in England are seeing the maximum allowed council tax increase of 4.99%. This means that people living in an average Band D property will now pay £2,280 a year – an increase of £109.
A study by the Local Government Information Unit found that nearly 9 out of 10 councils are also raising charges for everyday services, like car parking, planning applications, garden waste collection, and even things like school meals, social housing rent, and funeral services. Many of these price hikes are above inflation.
On top of that, broadband and phone bills are going up. The TV licence and car tax are both rising by £5, and electric cars will no longer be tax-exempt. With the average household already spending over £2,000 a month on basic living costs, experts say these new increases could add around £49 more each month.
Some campaigners are angry at the water regulator, Ofwat, accusing them of making customers pay for years of poor management by water companies. The group River Action is taking legal action, as average water bills are rising by £123 per year.
Keir Starmer admitted that rising bills are putting pressure on people’s finances, but said rising wages would help. He told Sky News that the cost-of-living crisis is still real, but the increase in the national living wage by an average of £1,400 a year should help millions of workers.
He added that interest rates have been lowered three times since Labour came to power, which helps people with mortgages. He also said that wages are now rising faster than prices, so people should start to feel better off.
But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch warned that the rise in employer National Insurance contributions is hitting young people hard.
She said supermarkets are cutting jobs and small businesses like hair salons can’t afford to hire new staff or apprentices anymore. She added that businesses are being forced to either freeze wages, stop hiring, or in some cases, shut down completely because of the extra costs.
