Our nation was hailed by the Economist as the “top-performing economy of 2023” for the second year in a row. That isn’t a turnaround, that’s a miracle – a miracle delivered by common sense.
Voters believe four of the Government’s five key pledges are more likely to happen under Labour than the Conservatives. Meanwhile, 2019 Tory voters prioritise spending on public services over tax cuts,
We are fed up with being controlled by its incorrect forecasts, and subject to wild policy swings by the Bank of England which did much to give us inflation in the first place.
There is no easy way out of the toxic combination of already-high taxes, corrosive inflation, low productivity, and a Health Service funded exclusively by the taxpayer.
To make progress over the coming year, the Party needs to reach out to more voters and the danger is that fighting culture wars just puts people off.
If National are to comprehensively balance the books and leave room for the investments in infrastructure and public services that need to be made, nothing less than swingeing cuts will be required.
The OBR predicts that our total debt pile will more than triple to 310 per cent of GDP by 2070. As staggering a figure as that is, it will never be a priority for politicians interested in buying their re-election on the backs of future generations.
Even as it is, we have been fortunate riots that have proven a rarity. Cut 6.7 per cent a year from the budget and they become almost an inevitability.
He will probably judge it better to keep a conservative spending message and dial down on the more radical green growth programme. Which would require her to make a painful U-turn.
Our chosen model is grossly unjust and will have many horrible consequences. But it already has, and yet it ticks along, because those consequences are not evenly spread.
“Our choice is not big government, high spending and high tax because we know that leads to less growth, not more. Instead we reduce debt, cut taxes and reward work.”
“Targeted investments will ensure the UK remains competitive in sectors where we’re already leaders and innovators in sectors where we’re not.”
Language matters, especially around an emotive and complex subject such as homelessness is. There is little forgiveness for imprecision, especially within the policy environment we have created by not articulating our own vision well enough.
I hope the British public get an answer. Because these are highly consequential decisions about the future shape of the state. £28 billion is £4 billion more than the annual Home Office budget.