Liz Kendall announces review into tax reliefs, as candidates oppose public sector pay freeze

Liz Kendall has announced that she is launching a review into tax reliefs headed by Margaret Hodge.

Kendall made this announcement during a Q&A session with former CBI chief Mike Rake. She told the audience  “I’ve asked Margaret Hodge to do a review of tax reliefs to identify money to increase public sector pay and reverse tax credit cuts.”

Margaret Hodge has earned much praise as chair of the public accounts committee (a position she no longer holds), for investigating tax.

Kendall also used this opposition to criticise her fellow candidates. She argued that Labour would be out of power for “well over a decade” if Jeremy Corbyn was elected leader. She again accused Yvette Cooper and Andy Burnham of being a coninuation of the past five years, saying that although one is a different gender from Miliband and the other has a different accent, they will not “cut the mustard.”

However, Kendall found common ground with the rest of the leadership contenders in opposing the government’s 1% public sector pay freeze. She said she was against the cap, particularly in the NHS. Similarly, Cooper has argued “This is an ideological assault on public services from George Osborne, not a sensible policy, and it isn’t fair.” Burnham and Corbyn have also come out against this policy.

This comes after Chris Leslie, shadow chancellor and Yvette Cooper supporter, said Labour would support the cap.