Labour is demanding the Tories spell out how they will pay for a 'reckless' plan to abolish national insurance contributions. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said in his budget it was his long-term ambition to 'end this unfairness', while an email sent to Tory members said 'we'll be able to make progress towards that goal in the next parliament'.
In his budget statement, he said: 'Because Conservatives believe that making work pay is of the most fundamental importance, because we believe that the double taxation of work is unfair, our long-term ambition is to end this unfairness. 'When it is responsible, when it can be achieved without increasing borrowing and when it can be delivered without compromising high-quality public services, we will continue to cut national insurance as we have done today so we truly make work pay.