Cost of living
Osborne and IDS promise a ‘better deal’ for working families. But a better deal is not necessarily a good deal
As Fraser says, the welfare changes, cuts to legal aid and so forth, which have come into force today, have got a universal thumbs-down in the left-wing press. I expect… Continue reading
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Mini reshuffle shows Cameron trying to get a grip
The mini reshuffle earlier this morning is significant. David Cameron has moved Tory ‘greybeards’ to address problem areas. Cameron’s twitter feed has announced: ‘Delighted John Hayes joining me as a… 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
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Is David Cameron about to drop minimum alcohol pricing?
James Chapman reports today that plans for a minimum unit price for alcohol are set to be dropped. This is welcome news. The policy always promised to simply drive up… Continue reading
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Why Ed Miliband’s Reagan-esque attack won’t work
Ed Miliband has taken inspiration for his 2015 attack line from an unlikely source: Ronald Reagan. In 1980, a week before the election between himself and incumbent President Jimmy Carter,… Continue reading
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PMQs sketch: In which Cameron both chooses and answers the questions.
Whoosh! Crasshh! Ploophm! Crummppp! The personal attacks came pounding in on David Cameron today. Ed Miliband asked about declining living standards and set about portraying the prime minister as an… Continue reading
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The Tory 2015 message: times are tough, but they’d be worse under Labour
Today’s PMQs was not, as James says, a tricky one for David Cameron. He had some good jokes and embarrassing gossip to poke Ed Miliband with, even though the Labour… Continue reading
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Wind power is unnecessarily stretching the cost of living
The perfect news to greet a freezing Britain today — energy bills are set to take another hike thanks to a series of dodgy wind energy contracts. According to today’s… Continue reading
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A coalition of the complacent
I don’t like to think that I am rich. In theory, I know that in comparison to the vast majority of the world’s population, I am. But perhaps because of… Continue reading
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How George Osborne took on Ed Miliband on the cost of living
In addition to his effective attack on Labour’s welfare policy, George Osborne used the Autumn Statement to take on Ed Miliband on another key electoral battleground. Over the past few… Continue reading
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The politics of energy
When David Cameron made his surprise announcement about forcing energy companies to offer customers their cheapest deal, he added, as an afterthought, that the leader of the opposition had missed… Continue reading
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Government responds well to energy price fixing claims
It is a busy day on the economic front, with new inflation figures (which are expected to show an increase) to be released at 9.30am and Ed Davey, the energy secretary,… Continue reading
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Ed Miliband talks a good game on the Living Wage
Ed Miliband’s One Nation circus moves on to tackle low pay this week, with the Labour leader calling for more companies to pay their staff the Living Wage of at… Continue reading
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A living wage misses the point of poverty
We all want there to be some new quick fix for tackling poverty and a ‘living wage’ is the latest fad in this area of simplistic marketing slogans. The reality… Continue reading
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Rising energy bills add to pressure on government
EDF’s announcement that it is raising gas and electricity bills by nearly 11 per cent will increase pressure on the government in two ways. The first is that these sorts… Continue reading
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When a growing economy still feels bad
David Cameron was right; the good news has kept on coming. This morning’s first estimate from the ONS puts GDP growth in the third quarter at 1.0 per cent. Cue… Continue reading
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How David Cameron fluffed a key cost of living announcement on energy
The Conservatives are worried that voters are deserting them over the rising cost of living, yet their leader has managed to fluff an announcement designed to remedy that problem. Yesterday… Continue reading
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The Tory task in Birmingham
Too often the debate about the future direction of the Tory party is polarised between those who want to ‘modernise’ and those who want to ‘go right’. But there’s another… Continue reading
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The cost of living and Cameron’s plans for victory in 2015
Conservative backbenchers are worried that the Prime Minister and his colleagues leading the Conservative party do not have a clear plan for winning the 2015 election. The Times reports today… Continue reading
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Fares rise brings fresh cost of living woe to Tories
This morning’s announcement that the retail prices index rose to 3.2 per cent in July, up from 2.4 per cent in June, means commuters will see a 6.2 per cent… Continue reading
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