SOUTH DORSET MP Richard Drax has today slammed Chancellor Rishi Sunak's latest Budget proposals - suggesting that the Government must curb increased spending on the NHS.

Conservative MP Richard Drax has claimed the Budget was contrary to the Tory philosophy of less state and insisted the NHS is an altar the country “can simply not afford to worship any longer”.

He told MPs: “With the UK’s total debt amounting to two trillion pounds, and taxes at the highest for 70 years, I wonder how long before the country’s credit card finally expires.

“The majority of the Budget was contrary to our philosophy of less state, lower taxes and a free market economy. It was more big state and Government knows best how to spend individuals’ money. It does not.

“Our job is a simple one: to create an environment where business can thrive, allowing the entrepreneurs and innovators of the UK to do what they do best while attracting the best from around the world to invest here, which post-EU we are now in a position to do.”

Mr Drax said what the country needs is “vision, a narrative, a plan and the political courage to promote and see it through”, but warned this will “be unsellable and unworkable unless radical reforms” take place.

He added: “Take the NHS, for example, and do not get me wrong, I have absolute respect and admiration for the doctors and nurses who work in the front line and they have done a fantastic job through the pandemic. But some commentator recently noted that the NHS was an organisation with a country attached. It is predicted that day-to-day Government spending on this could rise to a staggering 44%. This is an altar that the country can simply not afford to worship any longer.

“Does any other country have a system like ours? It doesn’t and I do wonder why. While money is short, why are we not looking at reversing our priorities? When you consider the private sector accounts for 85% of the work force, why do we continue to pour good money after bad into the public sector without reform?”

Yesterday the Chancellor said higher taxes could boost quality of life, but that he wanted to bring the burden on taxpayers down again during this parliament.

Appearing before the Commons Treasury Committee on Monday, Rishi Sunak insisted he will aim to bring the tax burden down by the next general election.

But he denied he was raising taxes now in order to cut them in order to win votes, and said rises also had to be seen in the context of the public services delivered.