PETER Kyle has said that a rise in national insurance will “absolutely clobber” workers on average salaries.

The MP for Hove, who serves as shadow secretary for Northern Ireland, said on LBC that the Conservative’s “broken promise” on increasing national insurance contributions will add to the burden caused by other tax hikes and the cost of living crisis.

Speaking to Nick Ferrari, Mr Kyle said: “Most families today will now start seeing a decrease in the money they have in their pocket, and a large degree of that is coming from the 15 tax rises that the Tories have put in and inflicted on the public in the last two years alone.

“People on average income will be absolutely clobbered by the national insurance rise, plus the businesses people are working for on lower incomes - they’re going to have less income as well, because this is a tax on small businesses, medium businesses, as well as individual workers.”

Mr Kyle’s comments come as campaigning for the local elections gets underway, with Labour claiming families are set to be £2,620 a year worse off on average under the Conservatives.

The party has been calling for a windfall tax on oil and gas firms to help people struggling with the costs of energy bills.

“We need to make sure our economy is fair, that we are taxing fairly, and that we are spending wisely,” Mr Kyle said.

From today, national insurance contributions will increase by 1.25 per cent, which the government predicts will raise £39 billion over the next three years to help reduce the NHS backlog caused by the pandemic, as well as reform adult social care.

The Prime Minister has defended the decision to hike national insurance and said: “We must be there for our NHS in the same way that it is there for us.

“Covid led to the longest waiting lists we’ve ever seen, so we will deliver millions more scans, checks and operations in the biggest catch-up programme in the NHS’ history.”

The Conservative’s manifesto at the last election promised “not to raise the rates of income tax, national insurance or VAT,” but senior ministers have said the pandemic meant that the tax promise could no longer be kept.