Claire Coutinho is clearly impressive, but has only been an MP since 2019, and the appointment of someone so inexperienced to so big a role comes with risks.
We hurl abuse at here-today-gone-tomorrow politicians and their advisers, while the permanent state flourishes like a green bay tree.
if you look at the odds for the next Conservative leader, there are no white men among the front runners. The top five comprise Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, James Cleverly, Suella Braverman and Gillian Keegan.
The sum total of all this is that Hunt’s wiggle room for tax cuts this Autumn is shrinking even further.
In an interview to the BBC, Liz Truss admitted that “mistakes were made” so far in her premiership, but that she would “lead the Conservatives into the next general election”.
The Sunday papers brought the news that Jeremy Hunt was to “postpone” the penny cut to income tax that had formed the centre-piece of Kwasi Kwarteng’s mini-Budget.
Kwasi Kwarteng arrived back from Washington on the morning of the 14th of October to discover he had been sacked.
Hunt may not be looking for tax rises. But tax rises might be looking for him, as borrowing costs may continue to soar.
“It’s time to roll up our sleeves. Take on the declinists. And watch the British economy prove the doubters wrong.”
So does Sunak, proudly smiling and clapping as the Chancellor spoke.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer adds that “public spending is still growing faster than the economy. Some say that’s inevitable. They are wrong. We need a more productive state. Not a bigger state.”
If there is leeway for cuts, wouldn’t it be wiser to use it for a reduction that affects a greater number of voters or boosts the economy?
82.5 per cent of all jobs in this country are in the private sector. Of these, 61 per cent are in the SMEs – small and medium-sized enterprises. In other words, over 50 per cent of all jobs in the United Kingdom are now in small businesses.