By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter I wrote yesterday that – Half of me thinks that David Cameron and George Osborne are supporting fiscal union because they're terrified of the consequences of Euro break-up (which is understandable). While the other half of me thinks that they are supporting fiscal union because they don't want to […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. 3.30pm Update: appearing on the Sunday Politics show, Andrew Neil asked Philip Hammond how spending money on a Trident replacement is fair, when the money could be spent on preventing cuts to Army regiment numbers. Hammond defended cuts to the Army, saying that the equipment element of the Defence […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter I was under the misapprehension that, since this is a Coalition Government, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats take the same whip. This misunderstanding was buttressed by the Number 10 website, which lists Alistair Carmichael as a Deputy Chief Whip (and number three in the Whips' Office). I should of course […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter David Cameron has told the Daily Mail that he wants a Tory majority at the next election and complained about the Liberal Democrats: "Mr Cameron singled out human rights law, reform of workplace rights and support for marriage as areas where Tory principles are being held in check but […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter The re-launch (or renewal of vows) of the Coalition in a factory in Essex this afternoon focused on a triple-pronged mission for the government: "We’ve got to sort out our debts…get real growth…and change this country so that once again it rewards people who work hard, want to get on […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter The morning in London is cool and overcast, and unsuitable for a press conference in Downing Street's rose garden. The weather suits the cooling of Conservative-Liberal Democrat relations that's taken place since David Cameron and Nick Clegg made their joint appearance in the sunshine two years ago. So does […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Following on from Tim Montgomerie's six immediate reactions to the local election results, I've summarised the reactions from other leading political commentators. Daniel Hannan argues that part of the reason the Tories (and Lib Dems) did badly was the Coalition's incompetence in dealing with the deficit: "Any government at a time […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter No breakthrough for Labour: Radio 4's Today programme is insisting that Labour had a "very good" night. If they achieve 700 gains that will be true but it's not a transformational night. Far from it. If there was real enthusiasm for Labour and Ed Miliband it wouldn't be losing control […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter The row about tax and charity is a scene on a wider canvas. Yesterday morning, David Gauke reminded Today's listeners that the move is part of "a general cap on reliefs": in other words, part of a "tycoon tax". George Osborne seems to have become convinced of the need for […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Just a quick blog to note this morning's Mail front page. Nick Clegg is openly briefing that he's determined to block Ken Clarke's "secret courts" plan: "The Deputy Prime Minister told Mr Cameron and other members of the highly secretive National Security Council that without major changes, the Liberal Democrats […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter The BBC's website reminds us that "the Chancellor's budget secrets are meant to be totally secret before his speech" – and that following the 1947 budget Hugh Dalton resigned as Chancellor of the Exchequer after it was discovered that he had leaked part of it. Which prompts the thought […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Conservatives don't always agree about raising new wealth and property taxes, but tend to do so about cutting the rate at which public spending is rising further. I warned last week of the danger that tax cuts on businesses and employment in the budget may be financed by new […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter If the Lords gets a democratic mandate it will inevitably challenge the legitimacy and authority of the Commons. From an electoral point of view the first Coalition government since WWII is not going well for Nick Clegg. His party has lost two million left-leaning voters to Labour, probably for a […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter. Interviewed from Mexico this morning's Murnaghan show on Sky News, George Osborne defended his decision not to cut fuel duty – he said that today it is is 6p lower than if he had not delayed previous rises: "I’ve taken action in the last two fiscal statements – in […]