Politics latest news: Treasury minister refuses to rule out tax rises at Autumn Statement

A Treasury minister has refused to rule out tax rises at the Autumn Statement next month. 

Victoria Atkins, the financial secretary to the Treasury, was asked twice whether Jeremy Hunt could increase the tax burden on November 22 given the Chancellor has already effectively ruled out tax cuts. 

But Ms Atkins refused to be drawn as she said the UK has the “lowest tax burden of any major European economy” and stressed the pressures on the public finances. 

Asked during an interview on Times Radio if she could say whether the tax burden could go up, Ms Atkins said: “I absolutely understand why people are calling for lower taxes but it is important to explain why we have had to, for example, increase taxes on the most profitable largest businesses in the UK to try and help pay off some of that debt that we have on our government books at the moment. 

“And this is why reducing debt is the third of the Prime Minister’s priorities because just as inflation and interest rates have hit us all in our purses and our pockets so too it has an impact on government spending, government money I should say. 

“We know that in recent months the cost of servicing that government debt has risen and that means that money that we would otherwise like to either spend on public services we care so deeply about or indeed spend on tax cuts, that money instead is being used to service government debt. 

“That is why you have got the Prime Minister’s three-pronged approach to this, halving inflation, growing the economy and reducing debt and that is how we are going to ensure that in the longer term we as Conservatives are able to offer tax cuts to the country.”  

Mr Hunt said at the start of October that it was “not the right time” for tax cuts as they would fuel inflation.

You can follow the latest updates below and join the conversation in the comments section here.