“Today’s OBR report confirms the continued resilience of the economy.”
Tax rises for the self-employed and those who have set up their own companies. More money for the NHS and social care. And an overhaul of technical education.
He sets out to deliver his first and last Spring Budget.
Plus: Is Hammond’s deficit reduction strategy right? Is Trump a good or bad thing? And should May call a snap election?
He could commit to some tangible metrics – i.e: reducing the tax code in length by 25 per cent by 2019, or pledging to abolish three taxes in each budget.
The harsh truth is that, nearly seven years into Conservative-led Government, we are still living beyond our means.
Hammond is a rare beast – most holders of his office have done everything they can to extend their power.
Hammond wants no longer to treat it as a second Budget-style political opportunity. That may turn out to be better in principle than in practice.
The Budget ducked the hard choices that need to be made.
We should unify all schools under one simple legal status. Opponents of reform are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
When more than 30 million of us regularly drink wine, why does the pub – not the wine bar – continue to represent political expediency?
Rediscovering the strong, municipal politics of the Nineteenth Century is the key to making Britain thrive in the Twenty First.
More power and control must be devolved to Cabinet members if we are to see the improvement in the quality of government that is now plainly necessary.
This zinger of a departure is about social justice as well as EU membership – and his farewell letter is a missile aimed at Osborne’s character and conduct.
The first piece in our mini-series on reducing the deficit explores ideas from addressing ‘grey welfare’ to closing Whitehall departments.