By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Cameron's Jimmy Carr dilemma… When David Cameron decided to pronounce on Jimmy Carr's tax affairs, he knew that both an academic question and practical consequences would follow. The academic question is: so how much tax should Mr Carr pay, then – what proportion of his income? 20%, the standard […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The Sun brings to life a story that first appeared in The Times a few Saturdays ago. Iain Duncan Smith is being asked to find another £10 bllion of welfare cuts. This won't be easy. Many cuts that the Chancellor has already pocketed for future years' projections haven't yet been […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter There's not much joy for George Osborne in today's YouGov poll for The Sunday Times (PDF). Two weeks ago ConHome revealed that Tory members had lost a lot of faith in the Chancellor and negativity is now widespread across the public. Just 18% think he is doing a good job […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter David Gauke (Answers phone): Gauke speaking. George Osborne: David, George here. Now, about those charity tax plans – (Line interrupted by loud cursing and smashing noises.) (Long Pause.) Gauke (To Private Secretary): Get me Boris's number, will you?
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter David Gauke (Answers phone): Gauke speaking. George Osborne: David, George here. Gauke: Chancellor! You must have seen Newsnight yesterday. Osborne: Newsnight? Why? (Pause.) Was Boris on it? Gauke: Er…No, Chancellor. But I was. Osborne: You were. Why? Gauke (Stiffly): I was defending the, er, adjustment to the pasty tax […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter Ring ring. Ring ring. David Gauke (Answers phone): Gauke speaking. George Osborne: David, George here. Gauke: Chancellor. Osborne: Sorry to bother you, but…some bad news, I'm afraid. Gauke: Sorry to hear it. Is it Boris again? Osborne (Worried): Boris? Gauke: Yes, Boris. Osborne (Alarmed): What have you heard? Gauke: […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter "He continued with hot takeaway food. You’re joking, I thought, not that old chestnut. I personally blocked that one back in 2005." This was Damian McBride's take on George Osborne's decision to charge VAT on hot baked food designed to cool down, such as pasties, pies and sausage rolls. […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter The Quad hadn't dotted the i's and crossed the t's but one week before the Budget George Osborne thought he had agreement to cut the top rate of income tax from 50p to 40p. Something happened, however, in the few days running up to the Budget that meant the Chancellor […]
By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter The Guardian chooses this morning to report the joint Taxpayers Alliance/Institute of Directors Tax Commission report – the headline recommendation of which is a "single proportionate income tax rate" of 30% – by focusing on how the proposed tax cuts would be financed: namely, by "cutting the ratio of […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter A new blow has been struck against the HS2 scheme. George Osborne's Treasury has been reluctant to approve new spending on the project, the Sunday Telegraph reports. The newspaper says that there is a “major risk” that the Bill to introduce the scheme will not come before Parliament by the […]
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter In one of the most important speeches of his premiership David Cameron will today insist that he will not abandon the Coalition's deficit reduction strategy. In a speech that the BBC is comparing to Margaret Thatcher's "No Turning Back" speech he will say the following:
By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter I don't want to get into another big debate on gay marriage today. While I accept that the issue is unpopular with a large number of big C and little c conservatives the evidence is that most of the public are in favour of the change. I also remain of […]
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 Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter I won't comment here on the biggest poll of the weekend – over at Majority Conservatism Paul Goodman provides a comprehensive review of Lord Ashcroft's mega poll on the political attitudes of ethnic minority Britons. The more regular opinion polls are not good for the Conservative Party. I summarise them […]
By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Tomorrow's Sunday Telegraph features an interview with Boris Johnson, who shores up his Tory support with a call for George Osborne to follow his lead and cut taxes: "Mr Johnson uses an interview in the Sunday Telegraph to make a direct appeal to his party’s core values, presenting himself as […]