'You know what happened': UK PM Rishi Sunak outlines why he cannot cut taxes, says people are 'not idiots'

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Thursday said that he wished he could cut taxes but the current public finances are not in favourable condition.

Sunak said that the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine had left the state of public finances "not where it needs to be."

He said that people are 'not idiots' and will understand why the immediate tax cuts are unaffordable.

As per media reports earlier this week the UK Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, is planning to "slim down' the budget in March with no immediate tax cuts.

During a Q&A session in Morecambe, Sunak said that when he was a chancellor he 'preferred it when the prime minister didn't comment on the tax policies.'

Assuring people on taxes, he said, "I am a Conservative. I want to cut your taxes, of course I do, because you all work incredibly hard and I want you to keep more of your money so you can spend it on the stuff that you want to."

He added, "trust me, that’s what I’m going to do for you this year, that’s what we’re going to do while I’m prime minister and if we do those things we will be able to cut your taxes."

Meanwhile, when the decision not to cut taxes was revealed, things didn't go well with Conservative MPs.

After Sunak's remarks, various MPs privately said that they were surprised at the language.

Sunak in trouble

With the ongoing discussion on tax cuts, a recent video went viral that showed the prime minister without a seat belt.

Thursday's video posted on Sunka's social profiles showedthe seatbeltless leader was seen speaking from the back seat of the car.

According to UK safety law, failing to wear a seatbelt is punishable by a fine of up to 500 pounds ($619).

After the video was criticised, a spokesman for Downing Street said that Sunak "fully accepts thi was a mistake and apologises."

The British Police said that they will be "looking into" the matter.

(With inputs from agencies)

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