Conservatives break manifesto pledge with National Insurance hike for 1 in 10 Guildford workers

The Conservatives have broken their 2015 manifesto pledge by hitting 5 million self-employed workers with a hike in National Insurance payments that will cost them an average of £93 a year extra.

Meanwhile a cut in corporation tax will go ahead while the Chancellor announced that business rates will go up by "no more" than £600 a year for small businesses across the country.

This is in defiance of the fact that the Conservative government and Guildford's Conservative MP were elected on a manifesto promise not to increase VAT, National Insurance Contributions or income tax.

Guildford Liberal Democrat spokesperson Zöe Franklin responded to the news:

"Around 1 in 10 workers in Guildford constituency are self-employed, ranging from taxi drivers and window cleaners to entrepreneurs. They are some of Britain's hardest working people and already miss out on sick pay, holiday pay and protection from unfair dismissal by being self-employed.

"Now the Conservatives are robbing their pay packets and small businesses to pay for a £2.2 billion tax cut for large corporations.

"The contents of this budget are little more than a tax on entrepreneurship and hard work coupled with a business rates hike which will break the back of many of the small businesses that make our High Streets special.

"I would invite our Conservative MP to stand up for her constituents and honour her election promises by voting with the Liberal Democrats to oppose this unfair budget and its attacks on those who are already struggling to keep their heads above water."