This question was thrown into sharp focus this week when Labour MP John McDonnell told the BBC Labour would be “looking to the corporations and to the rich to pay their share”.
When pressed to define the rich, McDonnell said it would include those earning “above £70,000 to £80,000 a year”.
Many took up the question on Twitter, and unsurprisingly opinions were divided. The reality is that most people don’t earn more than £70,000 a year: according to data from HMRC earning this amount would put you in the top 5% of UK taxpayers.
On Thursday, Emily Thornberry defended John McDonnell’s definition of rich, but conceded “there are many people on £70,000 who may well feel that … they are not rich”.
