Sir Keir Starmer has sparked fears of a new stealth tax after Kemi Badenoch warned that "millions of our poorest pensioners face being dragged into income tax for the first time ever".
Fears arose after the Leader of the Opposition quizzed the Prime Minister on whether Labour would maintain its commitment to unfreeze income tax thresholds.
She asked: "Does the Prime Minister think that it is right that struggling pensioners should face a retirement tax?"
Starmer said Labour will stand by its manifesto pledges not to increase the triple lock, which involves income tax, employer national insurance, or VAT.
Sir Keir Starmer has sparked fears of a new stealth tax
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The Prime Minister replied: £For a Prime Minister or a Chancellor to say we are not going to write a Budget in advance isn’t a Labour thing or a Tory thing.
"Every single Prime Minister and Chancellor says they won’t. We will stick to our manifesto commitments. We will stick to our fiscal rules."
Extending the freeze would directly contradict Rachel Reeves's comments made during the presentation of last year's Autumn Budget.
She told MPs at the time: "Having considered this issue closely, I have come to the conclusion that extending the threshold freeze would hurt working people."
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Kemi Badenoch quizzed the Prime Minister on whether Labour would maintain its commitment to unfreeze income tax thresholds
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The Chancellor added: "It would take more money out of their payslips. I am keeping every single promise on tax that I made in our manifesto.
"There will be no extension of the freeze in income tax and National Insurance thresholds beyond the decisions by the previous Government from 2028-29."
Reeves has repeatedly insisted that she will not return for another major raid, but has faced difficulties in raising the necessary funds.
The Prime Minister, who was pushing for a £5billion cut to benefit spending by slashing Personal Independence Payments and Universal Credit, completed a spectacular U-turn to appease a growing Labour rebellion.
Starmer said Labour will stand by its manifesto pledges not to increase the triple lock, which involves income tax, employer national insurance, or VAT
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This move has left Rachel Reeves short of the savings she was expecting in order to balance the books and stick to her own self-imposed fiscal rules.
A Tory spokesman said: "The Prime Minister emphatically ruled out any rises in income tax, NI or VAT.
"But he wouldn't repeat the promise his Chancellor made in the autumn to lift the freeze on income tax thresholds.
"He also refused to rule out a retirement tax and wealth taxes. The only reasonable conclusion is that a toxic cocktail of Labour tax rises is coming in the autumn Budget."
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