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Will Kemi Badenoch lead the conservatives further to the right?

The conservative lemmings choseKemi Badenoch as new leaderso they clearly have a death wish.

Expect them to point to everyone but themselves as the reason for our nation’s decline as they move further and further to the right in their frenzied race to outdo the wicked reforms. Guy Wilkins, Richmond

What exactly is a “working person”…?

Mr Prime Minister Keir Starmer and chancellor Rachel Reeves repeatedly promised us that the budget would include “no tax increase for workers“, although he was unable to clarify what a “working person” was.

However, any reasonable person would surely have assumed that those who worked on their own account, risking their own investment to earn a living entirely through their own efforts, would be included in this group. Yet the nearly five million people who are members of a partnership or self-employed through their own limited company will see their taxes rise from next April, a direct result of changes made by Reeves last week .

Employer national insurance contributions are increasing and will be paid by business owners from any wages they receive.

These will also be due on virtually all turnover if their business is subject to IR35 rules – HMRC determining whether a contractor is truly self-employed (they pay less tax) rather than employed (more).

In addition, and due to the lowering of thresholds, a large number of individual entrepreneurs will be drawn into Making Tax Digital – the new government system for digitally capturing tax records throughout the year – with the costs and associated administrative burdens.

In 2000, Tony Blair’s Labor Party managed to keep IR35 under the radar by making no mention of it in its budget.

The Starmer government is trying a similar trick by repeating “no tax rises for workers” while raising taxes on some of the most entrepreneurial and hard-working groups in the economy. Derek, Watford

It’s all about balance

Regarding Jimmy and Otto (MetroTalk, Friday) saying the budget was respectively “the biggest money grab” and Labor “hated” the private sector.

There is a balance to be struck between providing public services without stifling the private sector with an upgrade.

Entrepreneurship and innovation will continue under Labor rule government as under the previous one, with the creation of more jobs in new technological industries, contributing to the wealth of the nation and its public services. Martin Hughes, Coventry

Reader challenges frugal Scottish stereotype

I’m appalled by Martin’s lazy racism with his remark that Scots are “careful with money” (MetroTalk, Monday).

Would he have dared to make a similar remark about people of another race or demographic?

No, because that would have been classified as hate speech, and rightly so.

Why is it still considered acceptable to distinguish the Scots in this way? Sandy McPherson, London

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