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The Green Party will demand the government introduces a wealth tax when Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivers her first budget next month.
Giving a speech at his party’s annual conference in Manchester, co-leader Adrian Ramsay said the UK “needs to invest in defending public services and protecting our environment – and we can do that with some changes to the tax system to ask the wealthiest in society to pay a little more”.
He said he expected Ms Reeves to say there was “no money” in the public purse due to the £22bn “black hole” Labour claims has been left by the last Conservative government.
But Mr Ramsay said he would tell the chancellor “she’s not looking in the right place”.
During the election campaign, the Green Party called for a wealth tax of 1% on assets worth over £10m and 2% on assets worth more than £1bn, claiming it would raise £15bn by the end of the parliament and impact fewer than 1% of UK households.
Speaking on Friday, Mr Ramsay stuck to the pledge, saying: “[These tax] changes are modest by the standards of many other European countries who recognise that having high quality public services and a greener economy needs investment.
“I proudly championed a wealth tax during the general election campaign, and I will do the same on budget day.
“And I will do the same every single day I hear this government claim that we can’t afford to pay for the necessary climate action, or to make sure everyone has a safe, affordable, warm home, or to fund our much loved NHS.”
The green Party secured the most seats they have ever had in parliament at July’s…
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