THE BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, has been accused of “acting as an unofficial spokesperson” for Boris Johnson’s government after her report on the Tories’ plan to hike National Insurance (NI) contributions.

Kuenssberg was speaking on Sunday’s edition of the BBC’s Politics Live when she claimed the plan to raise NI payments – contravening a major manifesto pledge – was evidence that the Prime Minister “does actually intend to keep his promise to fix” English social care.

She said the Tory leader would “break one promise ... in order to keep the other”.

The Conservatives' 2019 manifesto promised “not to raise the rates of income tax, National Insurance or VAT”. It said this was a “guarantee that will protect the incomes of hard-working families”.

The party also promised to find a “long-term solution for social care”, adding: “The prerequisite of any solution will be a guarantee that no one needing care has to sell their home to pay for it.”

In her report on the issue, Kuenssberg said: “I have heard a couple of interesting things this morning.

“The Government might actually push to have a vote on this new levy that's to go towards health costs and the cost of social care, perhaps to try to get some of those grumpy backbenchers on board and to show to the country, which Boris Johnson is very keen to do, whatever you think of him, that this was a difficult problem and he does actually intend to keep his promise to fix it, however controversial and however much unhappiness there’s going to be about these proposed reforms.”

Despite saying that the Government “might actually push to have a vote on this new levy”, Kuenssberg had previously reported that Parliament would “of course have to have a vote on increasing National Insurance”.

Furthermore the "grumpy backbenchers" who are opposed to the Tory government's plans to raise taxes include at least one member of the Cabinet.

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Kuenssberg then reported on the perceived unfairness of an NI rise as it will hit low-paid people who are in work, while pensioners or others with high levels of accrued wealth will pay nothing.

Kuenssberg said that the Tories would also “rip up the triple lock” meant to protect pensions, another direct breach of commitments in the Tories' 2019 manifesto.

The BBC's political editor claimed that breaking two manifesto pledges would be presented as “fairer” than a NI rise would be on its own.

New Statesman contributor Alex Andreou shared a clip of the report on Twitter, saying that Kuenssberg had used some “interesting framing”.

Andreou went on: “People saying govt shouldn't break its manifesto pledges or that National Insurance is an unfair, regressive way to pay for social care are ‘grumpy’. While Johnson ‘whatever you think of him’ is determined to take on hard issues whatever the political cost.”

Others agreed with the assessment, with National contributor Gerry Hassan writing: “This is the @BBC's Laura Kuenssberg acting as an unofficial spokesperson and interpreter for Boris Johnson's Government: a line she does seem happy to continually cross over into.”

Nick Tolhurst added: “BBC journalist @bbclaurak now reframing Boris Johnson breaking a manifesto commitment as ‘keeping a promise’.

“I don't know what to say at this point. It’s beyond satire.”

Other replies accused the BBC’s political editor of having “given up pretending to be an independent journalist”, of presenting “a party political broadcast on behalf of the Conservative Party”, and of “shameful bias”.

A BBC spokesperson said: "The BBC is an independent and impartial news organisation.

"As our political editor Laura Kuenssberg covered this in the manner that our audience would expect, offering detailed and impartial analysis of the news story."