Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride has declared it time for Rachel Reeves to “step aside” if her Budget burdens higher taxes on hardworking Britons, including pensioners.

Speaking on the Camilla Tominey Show, Sir Mel ripped into Ms Reeves as the countdown for her Commons statement is on.

His calls for the Chancellor has chimed with a multitude of voices urging the Chancellor to leave No11 if she were to slap more taxes on Britons.

“Well, I know you’ve been urging me, Camilla, to be saying this for a very long time because I don’t think you should run around constantly asking for everybody to resign over everything,” he prefaced, speaking to GB News.

“But I think if we’ve reached the point where this Government in opposition made a lot of very clear commitments, including in their manifesto, then promptly junked a lot of them and did different things in office.

“She has now arrived at a point where, once again, we are led to believe they will be putting up taxes on hardworking people, which is something that they’ve said they wouldn’t do then.

“I think it’s time for her to step aside, I’m afraid.”

Asked when Ms Reeves should bow out, Sir Mel referred the decision for “others to think about”.

However, he added: “I think a position does finally become untenable if you go into a General Election saying that you’re not going to put up taxes on hardworking people, then do that.

“Because that’s what National Insurance on employers actually did back in October of last year.

“Then you have an emergency budget in the spring, in March, and you say that’s it. End of. We’re not going to be coming back for more.

“And then another six months later, that appears to be exactly what you’re going to do.

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“I’m afraid there is a limit, I think, to everybody’s patience in those circumstances.”

Ms Reeves’ potential resignation would cause further upheaval on Downing Street, with Sir Keir Starmer riddled with rumours of leadership plots to oust him from No10.

The party war broke out after allies insisted the Prime Minister would fend off any leadership threat, with plenty pointing fingers at Health Secretary Wes Streeting, disgraced ex-deputy Angela Rayner and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.

The Chancellor received a number of calls to hang up her hat if she were to raise income tax after vowing to not raise the key taxes ahead of the General Election.

Last month, Ms Reeves was seen to be laying the ground to hike up income tax in an unprecedented pre-Budget briefing on Downing Street.

However, she has reportedly shredded the plans altogether over fears of the rising threat from disgruntled backbenchers and disheartened voters.

The shocking U-turn, revealed by the Financial Times, has led to the Chancellor studying whether she could introduce an income tax “by stealth” by lowering the thresholds at which people pay tax.

Ms Reeves is now believed to be grappling for methods to plug the £50billion black hole in the public purse, which will be set out in Parliament on November 26.

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