Sunak opts to suck it and see

The OBR’s horrid forecasts of an output implosion and soaring unemployment will do nothing to quell Tory resistance to tougher Covid tiers.

Why the obsessive focus on new tax rises when we need proper spending control – in the form of a real zero-based review?

The Treasury should hold one as the year rolls on, along the lines of that undertaken by Canada’s government during the 1990s.

Darren Grimes: “Hey folks, eat out and spend more – no, not you, fatty. And here’s a new tax for you, consumer-friendly online retailer.”

We should have a laser-like focus on reducing the tax burden, instead of relying on nannying to get us off of our bottoms.

Cummings 1) At a stroke, the row has weakened the authority of the lockdown

If so much, as Ministers suggest, depends on common sense, nuance, context and common sense, people will draw the inevitable conclusion.

Tom Waterhouse: To help reduce obesity, don’t expand the sugar tax. Use social prescribing instead.

I qualified as a personal trainer to train people in my spare time. The greatest challenge is breaking down the barriers people face to getting fit and healthy.

The virus. Why Johnson fell. Why Johnson flourished. Two first drafts of history from 2024.

Two extreme versions of what happens next in Britain. Events are more likely to end up somewhere in the middle.

Ryan Bourne: The real Budget question on borrowing is not “could we?” but “should we?”

My answer would be “maybe, provided the spending or tax cuts significantly improved our growth potential.”

John O’Connell: The tax choice ahead. Johnson, and the highest burden since Attlee. Or Corbyn, and…the highest ever.

The tax burden isn’t a full measure of the size of the state. But it’s arguably the pre-eminent factor and certainly that which most concerns the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

Phoebe Griffith: To end austerity finally, Johnson needs more than a quick splash of populist spending

The third piece in our series this week about what the Conservative Manifesto should look like.

Chris Philp: Cut Stamp Duty – and unleash a new Home Ownership Revolution

The Government should abolish stamp duty entirely for all purchases of a main home under £500,000.

Nick Hargrave: The capitalism of the future demands a bigger role for the state

Its muscular power is needed to boost share ownership, build houses and tax wealth rather than income. And let’s rule out a No Deal Brexit.

Nick Hargrave: Conservative moderates need to help change our Party. Here’s how to start doing it.

Our party will not be able to speak for Britain as it really is, and as it will increasingly come to be, unless we make some efforts to reflect this in our membership.