Ryan Bourne: The tax hikes that could fall in the south. And tear the Tory coalition apart

The problem is that spiralling spending demands quickly use up the options which voters don’t notice. Eventually you need other big sources of revenue,

Reports of Johnson’s political demise are greatly exaggerated

But this electoral Titan has an Achilles heel – tax rises which, rather than planning or HS2, are the real threat to future Chesham & Amershams.

Jonathan Werran: Ministers should not be afraid to let councils sharpen their commercial edge

A new paper from Localis and Human Engine makes the case for well-managed local authority entrepreneurialism.

Ryan Bourne: School catch-up for the disadvantaged? Of course. But do all pupils need it? Not really. The Treasury has a point.

That schooling can improve earning potential doesn’t mean that ever-more schooling is good for all kids in the aftermath of a pandemic.

Today’s aid amendment. The champions of 0.7 per cent will win either way – if not in the Commons, then in court.

Which is what comes of the virtue-signalling practice of setting targets in law, rather than having MPs vote on expenditure. 

Shrey Srivastava: Why young people should reject the folly of modern monetary theory. Along with everyone else.

Once inflation arises, reversing course is difficult. Businesses shut down or relocate, unemployment soars and we enter an economic contraction.

Sorry, Matthew, but there’s a Centre Party already – Johnson’s Conservatives

The centre isn’t where he or ConservativeHome or anyone else wants it to be. It’s where it is – “Far From Notting Hill”.

John Redwood: Why now that we have left the EU are we still yoked to Maastricht austerity?

What we need is to promote a higher wage, higher productivity economy. Our economic targets should reflect those aims.

David Gauke: Cameron’s values in government may be out of favour, but they are not wrong

Looked at in the round, over the 2010-2016 period, the UK had the joint highest growth for a G7 economy, level with the US.

Looking back at the Budget a week on, its plan for growth is not convincing

The Government can’t deliver levelling up without more supply-side change, localism and public service reform.

Alan Mak: A week on from the Budget, it’s clear that it will boost innovation and productivity

Providing small businesses with technology and training will accelerate our recovery from Coronavirus.

A looming battle between the Government and the health unions? Welcome back, old normal.

It makes sense to focus on a private-sector recovery, but a low pay offer to NHS workers sits badly alongside a record deal for teachers last year.

Are Johnson and Sunak preparing the way for a snap election in 2023?

The Budget was, if truly honest, a sign that the Government shuns spending cuts and embraces tax rises – which is ultimately unsustainable.

Ryan Bourne: Why is Sunak so taken with tax hikes – when the tax burden is forecast to be its heaviest for 70 years?

Conservative messaging implies an implicit belief that there are no major state functions ripe for reform in any fiscal repair.

The Budget should be a big reset moment for post-Brexit, post-Covid Britain. It risks being lost amidst a rush to tax rises.

It will probe whether or or not Sunak can prepare the country for that future – and perhaps succeed Johnson himself, “one fine day”.