If we are going to need to raise a lot of money in tax, this needs to be done in a way which minimises damage to our capacity to create wealth.
We are on course for a WTO Brexit. Given the opinion polls, the media’s attention would be best focused on the implications of such an outcome for the country.
The result of a general election next month would by no means be a foregone conclusion.
Let me give seven examples of principles that most Conservatives would support. I struggle to reconcile them with those pursuing a No Deal Brexit at any cost.
You might blame Parliament for the fact that the Prime Minister will have broken his promise but Parliament didn’t force him to make that promise.
I still want to avoid a second referendum. But unless we can make progress towards Parliament supporting a deal, those calls are going to grow.
It was never possible to maintain exactly the same benefits of EU membership whilst walking away from the institutions and the rules.
“The disenchantment of the traditional working class with the left clearly creates an opportunity for the right.”
In the last Parliament, we were able to reduce the cost of government substantially, with administrative budgets falling by 40 per cent. But we need to go further.
The Chancellor is continuing his winning formula – cutting business taxes while cutting borrowing.
Compare the state of the nation today to how things were when I first became a Treasury Minister and it’s clear how far we’ve come.
Addressing productivity levels requires long term policies such as those announced by George Osborne in the Autumn Statement.
Self-employed people earning less than £15,900 a year will still see a reduction in their NICs bill, and also benefit from the increased income tax personal allowance.