Osborne finds £416 million to ease the pain. ConHome coverage quoted in the Commons.
Yes, changes could be made to his plans – and probably will be. But the Chancellor is on the right side of a big, vital argument.
Osborne’s localist scheme has its attractions, but Tory backbenchers are angry, the Government risks losing the vote – and there is no mandate for it.
The Government is in danger of trying to unpick the housing lock with the wrong key or, in exasperation, simply kicking the door down – which would be a vote-loser.
Greg Clark is keen to agree a deal with the sector rather than have to legislate – but he still carries that big stick as a last resort.
The Prime Minister’s success springs from a preference, new to Westminster, for Cabinet ministers who actually know about their departments.
The core of his plan is that councils will be forced to build. We support the Chancellor’s end and salute his courage. But the means look dicey.
We need to be better at giving Conservative voters who work in the public sector the support they deserve.
It is not just northern councils that want the flexibility to improve infrastructure.
The choice is between building lots of new homes in many places and lots of new homes in fewer places.
Here is our simple, positive, Conservative message on jobs – for when you are knocking on doors in the weeks ahead.
We need to devolve to the cities and shires alike.
How the Chancellor used Manchester as his starting-point of his Northern Powerhouse plan for urban revival and election success.
There is a lot still to do to make the idea a reality – and not all of it will be comfortable.