British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the decision to raise national insurance (NI) contributions for millions of workers, arguing that the manifesto-breaking rise is “necessary, fair, and responsible.” The government has raised national insurance contributions by 1.25 percentage points from April 6, breaking a pledge Johnson personally made in the Conservative Party’s election manifesto in 2019, in which he promised not to raise income tax, VAT, or national insurance. From April 2023 onwards, the NI rate will decrease back to the 2021–2022 level, with a new 1.25 percent health and social care levy legally introduced. The UK government predicts that the tax rise will raise £39 billion ($51 billion) over the next three years to help reduce the pandemic-induced backlog in the National Health Service (NHS) and reform adult social care for the long term. Johnson said on Tuesday that the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic led to …