Keir Starmer under fire for NOT saying landlords are “working people”

The Prime Minister has slammed landlords by not confirming they are “working people”.

In an interview with Sky News, Keir Starmer struggled to define a “working person” but says people who earn income through property or shares are not working people.

The issue is important because the Labour election manifesto promised not to raise taxes for working people – which means landlords should prepare for a tax hit in next week’s Budget.

Mr Starmer’s comments come as a cabinet minister also refused to say six times on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether landlords are working people.

The NRLA have hit back at the Prime Minister’s comments, describing them as stoking misconceptions about landlords.

Wouldn’t come under my definition

When asked to define a working person Mr Starmer said: “A working person is somebody who goes out and earns their living, usually paid in a sort of monthly cheque.

“People who go out and work hard and maybe save a bit of money but can not write a cheque to get out of difficulties.”

Beth Rigby on Sky News, slammed the Prime Minister for his broad definition of working people and pressed on whether his definition of a “working person” includes those who earn part or all of their income from property or shares.

Mr Starmer said: “Well, they wouldn’t come within my definition.”

The Prime Minister then refused to rule out a tax rise for landlords in the upcoming budget.

According to the Daily Mail, Downing Street later tried to calm the storm following the Prime Minister’s remarks, insisting that individuals who hold a small amount of savings in stocks and shares still qualify as ‘working.’

The PM’s official spokesman stated that Mr Starmer was referring to Britons who primarily earn their income from assets.

NRLA reaction

According to the government’s most recent English Private Landlords Survey in 2021, 30% of landlords were employed full-time and 10% part-time.

Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, said: “It is simply not true that landlords are not working people.

“Official data shows that 30% of landlords are employed full-time, with a further 10% working part-time. 28% are self-employed in some way, while 35% are retired and are likely to rely on their rental income for their pension.

“Rather than stoking misconceptions, the government needs to focus instead on the key challenge in the rental market, namely a lack of homes to rent to meet ever-growing demand.”

Refused six times

Mr Starmer’s comments come as a cabinet minister refused six times to say whether a landlord is a working person.

Nick Robinson on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme asked Treasury Minister James Murray whether people who earn money from assets – such as landlords – are ‘working people’

Mr Murray simply said: “Our manifesto said we would protect working people by not raising income tax, national insurance or VAT and we will keep that promise.”

The interview with Sky News can be seen below at 6:00

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