John Redwood: Let’s have a Conservative Queen’s speech

The Government needs to trust the people more and resort to rule-making less. This Queen’s speech should set that tone.

John Redwood: Ministers must not let Treasury orthodoxy make a cost-of-living crisis worse

Slowing the economy too much this spring will cut tax revenue. They could end up with a bigger deficit from too tough a squeeze.

How to cut the cost of living

When it comes to helping working people, a tax cut to hand would be the cancellation of the Health and Social Care Levy.

Robert Halfon: We should be pro-private enterprise, anti-mega corporates – which plunder the taxpayer again and again

Plus: Let’s cut VAT on energy bill as soon as we leave transition – deal or no deal. And: first Ardern, then Biden?

The EU trade talks. Whether there’s a deal or not, we will be out of transition soon. Ministers should be ready to make the most of it.

The Government should be mulling some quick Brexit wins come the New Year – ways of using freedoms that we don’t have during implementation.

Sunak whistles in the dark

The Chancellor is groping his way, knowing well that the future is unknowable, trying to hold on to as much of the past as he can.

Ryan Bourne: Sunak shouldn’t try today to restore pre-virus Britain. It’s gone – and we must now adapt.

What normalisation should mean is the return to a functioning market economy where our wants and needs are met in today’s circumstances.

Sunak’s statement tomorrow. How much like the Old Normal can we afford to make the New Normal be – or try to?

Given the Coronavirus uncertainties, whatever he announces could be even more provisional than most schemes of most Chancellors. 

Howard Flight: High streets, air travel, restaurants, the arts. How the virus is transforming our lifestyle.

It should be remembered that the arts contributes more to Britain’s international earnings, in the aggregate, than does the City of London.

Charlotte Pickles: Ten million people are at risk of becoming unemployed. They must be Sunak’s priority this week.

The Chancellor should use his statement on Wednesday to announce a comprehensive and ambitious plan to counter the threat.

Javid delivers the Budget he never got a chance to – via the Centre for Policy Studies. He wants to go for growth.

It’s a good thing for former senior Ministers to keep thinking, going and contributing, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see a comeback to government.

David Gauke: Big Government is back. It didn’t work before. It may not now. Here’s why we should be wary of it.

Post-Covid, the environment is likely to be egalitarian and interventionist. For libertarian, small state Eurosceptics, this must come as a disappointment.

Robert Halfon: There must be no tax rises for lower income voters to help meet the costs of the virus

No fuel duty rises, self-employed taxes, income tax rises, more taxes on food and drink – and the like.

Sam Robinson: How can the UK pay off its Coronavirus bill? A carbon tax and reformed wealth taxes would help.

The Government has to generate revenue quickly, but austerity and spending cuts are not viable options.

Eamonn Butler: After the lockdown. If there is a role for the state, it is in getting out of the way of recovery.

It should remove those taxes and regulations that will stop business from applying their ingenuity on the problem of rebuilding from the ruins.