𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Ed Miliband has said he is “proud” of Labour’s decision to increase taxes on the wealthy. The Energy Secretary said tax raids on those well-off are “fair” to bring bills down.

Speaking to Sky News’ Sophy Ridge, the Labour frontbencher said: “The whole purpose of this Government is to stand up for ordinary families and this cost of living crisis is not just something that arose when Russia invaded Ukraine and bills went through the roof.

“It’s a 15-year issue that families have faced, it’s something that so many families feel. So we are proud of taking action, including through taxation, to make a difference.”

The Chancellor announced the public would get £150 off energy bills at the Budget, but Ridge questioned Mr Miliband whether people were actually just paying for this through higher taxation.

Mr Miliband insisted: “We’ve made a decision that the fair thing to do is to raise taxes on the wealthy, which is what we’ve done, to cut bills for everybody and that’s a choice of Government. That’s what fair taxation is all about.”

He added: “I think the point is that some people are paying for it and we’ve made a decision that the fair and right thing to do is to make the decision that we did.”

The former Labour leader said the PM had shown “calm leadership”, adding he wasn’t with the US President and other leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos because there are “all kinds of other things that he’s doing”.