TAP: Rousing Words from Starmer, But Still Government by Cliché

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

London, 30 September 2025 – Responding to Sir Keir Starmer’s speech to the Labour Conference, Taxpayers Against Poverty (TAP) said that while parts of the address were rousing and emotional, much of it was “the same old rhetoric” — a speech heavy on slogans but light on solutions.

TAP Chief Executive Tom Burgess said:

“It sounded more like government by cliché than government by vision. Britain is crying out for systemic answers to poverty, inequality, and the cost of living crisis. Yet instead of setting out a bold plan, the speech skirted around the structural reforms we urgently need.”

TAP expressed particular concern at Starmer’s dismissal of a wealth tax as a “magic solution to every problem.”

“No one is saying that a wealth tax is a silver bullet,” Burgess said. “What we are saying — and what the evidence shows — is that taxes on wealth are critical to resolving inequality, alongside other tax reforms. If we want to make work pay, restore public services, and invest in growth, wealth must contribute its fair share.”

TAP insists that real fairness requires modernising the tax system:

• Tax wealth more, tax work less.

• Invest in housing, health, education, and green infrastructure.

• Reduce poverty, boost inclusive growth, and rebuild trust in politics.

With the Autumn Budget on 26 November, TAP is urging the Prime Minister to seize the moment and deliver substance, not soundbites:

• Shift the burden of tax from work to wealth.

• Commit to long-term investment in homes, transport, and public services.

• Show that Labour is serious about tackling inequality, not just talking about it.

Polling shows overwhelming public support for wealth taxes — across all political parties, and even among many millionaires.

“The country doesn’t need more rhetoric,” Burgess concluded. “It needs courage, vision, and leadership. Tax wealth fairly, invest wisely, and reduce poverty. That’s how you deliver a Britain that works for everyone.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

For media inquiries, please contact:

Tom Burgess, CEO, Taxpayers Against PovertyEmail: taxpayersagainstpoverty@gmail.comWebsite: www.taxpayersagainstpoverty.org.uk   www.realagenda.org

About Taxpayers Against PovertyTaxpayers against Poverty is a UK-based independent advocacy group dedicated to tackling poverty, inequality, and social injustice by promoting economic policies that have a direct effect on reducing poverty and the unnecessary financial hardship. TAP seeks to influence national and local policy with well-researched and robust evidence of hardship and promote practical policy proposals using a direct approach to decision makers and other influencers.

TAP was founded by the late Rev Paul Nicolson and is led by Tom Burgess, author of From Here to Prosperity, a new political agenda for a sustainable economy and greater social justice, which proposes taxing wealth more and income less. TAP’s sister organisation and partner is Compassion in Politics which seeks to bring more honesty, respect and compassion into political life