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Question Time Presenter Hits Labour Minister With 7-Word Budget Slapdown

Question Time Presenter Hits Labour Minister With 7-Word Budget Slapdown

James Murray on Question Time. BBC Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce hit a Labour minister with a devastating 7-word slapdown as he tried to defend Rachel Reeves’s tax-raising Budget. James Murray , the chief secretary to the Treasury, insisted the chancellor had not broken Labour’s election manifesto, which said the That is despite the fact that Reeves extended the freeze on income tax thresholds, meaning around 1.8 million workers will pay more when they get a pay rise and are dragged into higher salary bands. Bruce said: “How can anyone believe what you say?” Murray replied: “Well, what it says in our manifesto is we will keep taxes on working people as low as possible.” But the manifesto actually said: “We will ensure taxes on working people are kept as low as possible. Labour will not increase taxes on working people, which is why we will not increase National Insurance, the basic, higher, or additional rates of Income Tax, or VAT.” Bruce told him: “It said you would not raise income tax, National Insurance or VAT. A lot more people are going to be paying a lot more income tax as they’re dragged into higher tax thresholds.” But Murray replied: “In the Budget the chancellor was upfront that we are asking everyone to contribute more because of the threshold freeze extension.” The presenter hit back: “So when she said she wouldn’t come back for more, she has. So that’s a broken promise.” Watch the full exchange below: Fiona Bruce, "How can anyone believe what you say?" Labour's James Murray, "Our manifesto says we'll keep taxes on working people as low as possible" Fiona Bruce, "Hang on it says you would not raise income tax, NI, or VAT" "A lot more people will pay a lot more income tax as… pic.twitter.com/gANpiZ0ziB — Farrukh (@implausibleblog) November 28, 2025 Related... BBC Question Time Audience Deliver Damning Verdict On Rachel Reeves's Budget Analysis: Rachel Reeves's £26 Billion Gamble Could Be The Final Nail In Labour's Coffin Reeves Scraps The Two-Child Benefit Cap And Delights Campaigners: 'We Won!'