UK’s Johnson Defends Tax Hike as ‘Necessary’ and ‘Responsible’

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson (C), Health Secretary Sajid Javid (L), and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak speak together as they look at a CT scanner during a visit to the New Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Welwyn Garden City, England, on April 6, 2022. Frank Augstein -WPA Pool/Getty Images

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the decision to raise national insurance (NI) contributions for millions of workers, arguing that the manifesto-breaking rise is “necessary, fair, and responsible.”

The government has raised national insurance contributions by 1.25 percentage points from April 6, breaking a pledge Johnson personally made in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto in 2019, in which he promised not to raise income tax, VAT, or national insurance.