If Cameron is to defuse Leigh’s criticisms, he must get on the front foot over renegotiation

By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Cynics will say that now Edward Leigh has his knighthood in his pocket (so… Read more »

Stephen Hester’s eventual replacement is walking into a political minefield

“Us? Encourage Stephen Hester to stand down? Nah, really? You mean the RBS Stephen Hester, right? Pffft, nothing to do with us…. Read more »

Voters have good reason not to believe politicians and their statistics

By Mark Wallace Follow Mark on Twitter. "Pity the rational politician", laments the header on Peter Kellner's Telegraph article today. Leaving aside the… Read more »

Before making spending decisions, the Government must learn to count

What if I told you that, as he prepares to deliver his latest Spending Review on 26th June, George Osborne can’t count?… Read more »

Getting to know U-KIP 3) What are UKIP’s policies?

Policies? What policies?! That used to be the cry when UKIP were less a political party and more a pressure… Read more »

The Tory leadership is betting the house on house prices – it might not end well

By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter Strolling through Brixton a couple of weeks ago, it wasn’t so much the new, half-finished… Read more »

An improving economy may rescue Cameron and Osborne, but it won’t deliver them from some tricky questions

Back in the early days of this Government, there was an easy consensus, among many commentators and politicians, about David Cameron’s chances… Read more »

The Government regards the state-owned banks as symbolically important. The question is how it will use that symbolism around election time

Talk to most Tory advisers about RBS and Lloyds, and they soon get round to symbolism. For now, they reckon, the state-owned… Read more »

How’s this for a Treasury team? Liam Fox and Harry Phibbs

By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. As Peter Hoskin suggested on this site earlier this week, that the economy grew… Read more »

GDP grew by 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2013, according to preliminary estimate

By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter The triple-dip has been averted – for now. The Office for National Statistic’s preliminary estimate… Read more »

George Osborne avoids the embarrassment of rising borrowing – but other dangers lie in wait

By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter That rush of air you just felt was from Downing Street, breathing out a collective… Read more »

Pickles dismantles Osborne’s new conservatory

By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. Mike Jones, the Conservative leader of Cheshire West and Cheshire Council and a senior… Read more »

Yesterday’s jobs figures were foreseeable but still troubling

By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter After the splendour and sorrow of St Paul’s, the realities of everyday politics – starting… Read more »

Why the significance of yesterday’s IMF intervention shouldn’t be overstated

By Peter HoskinFollow Peter on Twitter Much ado about the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook report, which was released yesterday…. Read more »

When it comes to Attack Dogs, Osborne’s still a Big Beast

By Paul GoodmanFollow Paul on Twitter. George Osborne is no less a pupil of Gordon Brown than Ed Balls, at… Read more »