Nearly two years ago, during a visit to Swindon in March 2023, Keir Starmer made a bold promise as Leader of the Opposition. Speaking at the time, he said: “Labour would freeze council tax next year, using that windfall tax that hasn’t been collected. Yes, you heard it right, not a penny more on your council tax, not a penny more than the bill you paid last year.”
Fast forward to now, and that statement has come under heavy scrutiny. At Prime Minister’s Questions on March 12, Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of breaking that pledge, claiming: “The average council tax bill is increasing by over £100 in April after he promised to freeze it”, reported the Independent.
However, a fact-check by the Press Association found that Starmer’s original promise only applied to the fiscal year ending in April 2024—provided Labour had been in power at the time. It was never a long-term guarantee and wasn’t included in Labour’s manifesto for the last election.
Rachel Reeves, who was shadow chancellor at the time, also dodged questions on whether Labour would continue with a council tax freeze if they won the general election. That reluctance to commit is now coming back to bite, with critics accusing Labour of misleading voters.
While Starmer never explicitly pledged to freeze council tax beyond April 2024, his wording at the time gave the impression that households could expect financial relief under a Labour government. Now, with bills set to rise, opposition figures are capitalising on the frustration of taxpayers who feel they were led to believe otherwise.
