Budget 2013
Government caution makes Help to Buy warning all the more worrying
The introduction of the Help to Buy scheme was the only very small bone of contention in this year’s successful Budget (successful politically, that is, in that no-one talks about… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: The Spectator briefing
On Wednesday evening, Andrew Neil, Fraser Nelson and James Forsyth presented The Spectator’s Budget Briefing at the Savoy Hotel. Here is the handout that accompanied their presentation: Here’s the presentation… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: The public’s verdict
We’ve got the first post-Budget polling from YouGov, and it brings mixed news for George Osborne. Certainly, this Budget doesn’t seem (so far) to have dented the Chancellor’s reputation the… Continue reading
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The View from 22 — Peter Lilley vs. George Eustice on press regulation and the 2013 Budget
The Spectator has categorically said ‘NO’ to signing up to the government’s new regulatory body, but why are MPs so divided? In this week’s View from 22 podcast, Peter Lilley… Continue reading
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The never-ending fuel duty story
One other point worth noting from today’s IFS post-Budget briefing was the way the government has dealt with fuel duty over the past few years. Here’s a table showing how… Continue reading
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IFS: Osborne’s austerity means more pain, not jam, tomorrow
George Osborne’s critics like to deride him as the ‘jam tomorrow’ Chancellor. But according to the post-Budget briefing the Institute for Fiscal Studies gave this afternoon, he’s the ‘pain tomorrow’… Continue reading
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Just cutting spending isn’t enough. Osborne needs to invest as well
Economic growth for the next year is predicted to be lower than 1.0%. I can’t think, offhand, or a more obvious indication that the Chancellor is gripped by some sort… Continue reading
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The durable coalition
This time last week, Westminster was full of speculation about alternative coalitions. Politics-watchers, myself included, all started speculating about what the Clegg Miliband alternative coalition on press regulation meant. But… Continue reading
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Forget beer and petrol: will MPs debate monetary policy today?
MPs are debating the detail of the Budget today, and will doubtless pick over some of the lines from George Osborne’s round of interviews this morning, particularly the confusion over… Continue reading
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Osborne’s pitch to Sun-reading voters caught up in Leveson row
If this was a Budget for Sun readers, then it hasn’t quite worked out as well as George Osborne might have hoped. The newspaper sounded pretty cheery this morning with… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: Ed Balls sticks to his favourite 50p attack
Ed Balls has just given his post-Budget briefing in parliament. The striking thing about Balls, no matter how much you might disagree with him, is how much he relishes these… Continue reading
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The Budget puts petrol in the Tories’ political tank
For the opening half of George Osborne’s Budget speech, the Labour front bench was busy waving around copies of the Evening Standard’s front page. This was visibly putting Osborne off;… Continue reading
50 Comments Budget 2013: New ‘Help to Buy’ plan is a boost for Eric Pickles
One of the big measures in today’s Budget was the Help to Buy scheme. It answers two demands: the first for the Tories to continue to support home ownership as… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: It’s all about the ‘aspiration nation’
So did he do it? This was a budget with a strong narrative about the ‘aspiration nation’, and the Chancellor certainly did everything he could to nod to two of… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: George Osborne’s statement in full
Mr Deputy Speaker, this is a Budget for people who aspire to work hard and get on. It’s a Budget for people who realise there are no easy answers to… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: Live
This liveblog is now closed, but you can continue to review all the analysis of Budget day here. Or read Fraser Nelson’s ‘Six Scary Graphs’ post on the worst recovery… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: Five boxes George Osborne needs to tick
We’ve got just over half an hour until the Chancellor stands up to give his Budget statement in the House of Commons. It’s the last Budget, many Tory MPs believe,… Continue reading
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Budget 2013: what the papers say
The Treasury has largely managed to maintain discipline in the run-up to the Budget, with only controlled briefings in the past few days, rather than last year’s public row over… Continue reading
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The quiet global energy revolution
In all the noise of tomorrow’s Budget, many may not spot a small tweak to the fiscal regime for UK oil and gas. Those of us with a close interest… Continue reading
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How the Treasury could sell its tax cuts to voters
One of the big challenges for the government in tomorrow’s Budget is how well the Number 10 machine is able to sell some of the positive measures that George Osborne… Continue reading
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