Reform and their MPs love to portray themselves as the anti-establishment party of the people. But voting to protect the profits of banks doesn’t sound very anti-establishment to us.
At the Budget last month, Chancellor John Healey announced the government would introduce a temporary tax hike on banks.
This tax hike would take the form of an extra 3% being introduced on the banks surcharge – taking the total paid to 6%, on top of the 25% corporate tax rate.
The money raised will then be used to fund a £100 cash payment for millions of households to provide support with soaring energy bills this winter.
The chancellor said he was “grateful” for the role the banks play and was “asking a bit more of our banks” to support ordinary people.
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This week, MPs voted on the measure, which passed by 420 votes to 105.
Whilst it’s no surprise that the policy passed, given Labour’s huge majority in the Commons, it is interesting who decided to vote against it.
All six of the Reform MPs who attended the vote decided that asking banks to pay a bit more tax to help out ordinary Brits was something they just couldn’t get behind.
Lee Anderson, Suella Braverman, Danny Kruger, Sarah Pochin, Andrew Rosindell and Richard Tice all voted against the measure.
As Labour MP Richard Burgon put it on social media: “Remember that the next time they claim to be on the side of ordinary people.”
The rest of the no votes came from dozens of Tory MPs and Restore Britain’s founder and sole MP Rupert Lowe.
Meanwhile, every single other party in the Commons – the DUP, the Greens, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, SNP, TUV, SDLP and Your Party – voted with Labour on the measure.
You can find a full breakdown of the votes here.