It’s later than Osborne planned, but good news nonetheless. Now Hammond must hold the course, and resist siren calls to start splashing the cash.
No council has ever held a referendum on tax rises over five per cent. Javid’s decision to raise the cap means taxpayers will be hit without the democratic chance to object.
Indeed, the next shutdown might come before very long. And there’s no sign that Trump or his opponents are in a compromising mood.
It would be the logical next step after taking back control from Brussels. And it would pull the rug from under Corbyn’s feet.
Hammond’s plan – from abolishing Stamp Duty for most first-time buyers, through to reforms to help Universal Credit recipients.
The new PFI policy is a classic example.
We can already see the damage being done to the Tory vote by the uncomfortable prospect of a near-permanent twilight state of austerity.
“We both value public services. The difference is, on this side of the House we know you have to pay for them.”
Uncomfortable though it is to admit, we run our public finances like a Ponzi scheme. The only way out of this mess is to improve our terrible productivity.
Politicians who support fiscal discipline are not protecting their own interests – they’re guarding the interests of others.
The left cries “Growth not austerity”. Seriously, comrades, if it were that easy, don’t you think someone would have done it by now?
The Prime Minister mounted a defence of the Government’s record on the public finances.
Detoxifying the Party never meant moving to the left – this year’s manifesto was well to the left economically of anything we advocated.
According to the originators of the Labour policy, the owner of a £300,000 house would be liable for tax of £4,950 a year.
In the first instalment of a three-part mini-series, Bright Blue’s senior research fellow explores how tax reform could rebalance the fiscal burden.