UK's Sunak says planned tax rise needed to pay for health and social care

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said that a planned tax increase to fund health and social care was necessary, after reports of divisions in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government over the policy.

British finance minister Rishi Sunak said that a planned tax increase to fund health and social care was necessary, after reports of divisions in Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government over the policy. "It's always easy to duck difficult decisions, but I don't think that's the responsible thing to do," Sunak said in a broadcast clip when asked about the planned increase in National Insurance, which Johnson's spokesman earlier said will not be delayed.

"I think people's priorities are for us to invest in the NHS (health service), to invest in social care. We need to make sure that those investments are funded sustainably, that's what we're doing." Asked about the rising cost of living, Sunak said he understood people's anxiety about inflation, but there were policies in place to help people with higher energy bills.