Boris Johnson news latest: PM defends tax hike as national insurance rise comes into force

Prime minister Boris Johnson defended the decision to hike the national insurance as “necessary, fair and responsible” ahead of its implementation on Wednesday. The national insurance contributions will increase by 1.25 percentage points.

The government predicts that the tax rise will raise £39bn over the next three years to help reduce the Covid-induced NHS backlog and later reform adult social care for the long-term.

“The levy is the necessary, fair and responsible next step, providing our health and care system with the long term funding it needs as we recover from the pandemic,” Mr Johnson said.

Health secretary Sajid Javid said the “investment will go into tackling those backlogs and will help make sure everyone can get the care and treatment they need”.

Meanwhile, the prime minister, speaking in Russian has appealed to the nation to learn the truth about Vladimir Putin’s war crimes in Ukraine.

In a video message to Russians, he highlighted the alleged massacre in the town of Bucha and said they only needed a VPN connection to gain access to independent information.