George Osborne
The Liberal Democrats, the natural party of government?
If four years ago, a Liberal Democrat politician had attempted to portray the Lib Dems as the natural party of government we all would have laughed. But that is just… Continue reading
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George Osborne braces himself for economic Ofsted inspection
It is probably unfair to say that the Queen’s Speech will have nothing to do with the economy: we are, after all, expecting a deregulation bill among others, which the… Continue reading
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Bob Diamond: family guy
Marilyn Monroe didn’t do it for the money, and neither did Bob Diamond. Seriously, the man dubbed the ‘unacceptable face of banking’ is just a regular family guy; Jimmy Stewart… Continue reading
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David Cameron and the married couple’s tax allowance
The married couple’s tax allowance is back on the agenda. After Conservative Home’s exclusive yesterday, David Cameron has confirmed that he will introduce one before the end of this parliament.… Continue reading
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The report the Department for Education does NOT want you to read
One of the better policies of this government is its offering massive databases up for public scrutiny. Sunlight is the best disinfectant, argues David Cameron, and outsiders can scrutinise what… Continue reading
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PM and Osborne prefer their ‘own words’ to describe miserable economy
George Osborne might have used Justin Welby’s comments on the problems with the banks this morning as a sign that he has at least one ally out there, but this… Continue reading
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Are the SNP’s plans for a currency union a) Expedient, b) Sensible, c) Dangerous or d) All of the Above
Even if George Osborne is right about the problems of a currency union between an independent Scotland and the rest of the UK he possesses the uncanny knack of being… Continue reading
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George Osborne stays in attack mode
George Osborne is well-known as the ‘submarine Chancellor’. But recently he’s been out and about a little bit more than we’re used to. He went on the attack this month… Continue reading
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Deficit falls by 0.3%… maybe
George Osborne will be breathing a sigh of relief this morning. The boast he made in his Autumn Statement in December — ‘the deficit is coming down this year, and… Continue reading
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Why Fitch downgraded Britain from AAA, in three graphs
Fitch has today followed Moody’s in downgrading Britain from AAA to AA+. The reason? George Osborne is borrowing far too much. In its verdict, it said that gross debt “will… Continue reading
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Fitch downgrades UK credit rating
Fitch’s announcement that it is downgrading the UK’s credit rating to AA+ isn’t as politically explosive as the downgrade from Moody’s in February, as it was inevitable that once one… Continue reading
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The date George Osborne’s vultures are circling over
It was only last week that a Tory MP was warning Coffee House of the dangerous impact that high levels of public debt can have on growth. Today that theory… Continue reading
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Exclusive: George Osborne on GOV.UK winning Design of the Year
One of the government’s lesser known reforms, the GOV.UK website, has just been named as the 2013 Design of the Year. Before the coalition, the public sector was represented online… Continue reading
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Olli Rehn bosses George Osborne around
Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner who is in charge of economic affairs, called in the Brussels press corps this afternoon to announce the conclusion of his ‘in-depth review of the… Continue reading
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I hate to admit it, but Ed Miliband has a point about welfare and language
In his Mail on Sunday column today, James Forsyth gives a fascinating insight into what both main parties are thinking as we move from welfare wars into local election campaign… Continue reading
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Liam Byrne tries to answer Labour’s welfare question
One can’t help but feel sorry for Liam Byrne. He is a fish out of water in Ed Miliband’s Labour party, something he implicitly acknowledged when he announced his intention… Continue reading
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The Philpotts – what happened to Labour’s view that we should be tough on the causes of crime?
Several Labour MPs have expressed their disapproval of George Osborne’s comments about the taxpayer funding Mick Philpott’s lifestyle. For example, Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough, said that welfare is a ‘completely… Continue reading
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George Osborne dips Mick Philpott into the welfare debate
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has just made a statement about Mick Philpott; the man convicted of the manslaughter of 6 of his children; the man who also lived off… Continue reading
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6 steps to out-fox local government’s Sir Humphreys
Shortly after the 2010 general election I attended an event where mandarins complained of ‘swingeing cuts’. Then one NHS boss admitted that he had so much cash sloshing around he… Continue reading
21 Comments George Osborne’s benefits speech – full text
George Osborne’s speech is below. As you will see, it is a bold defence of the government’s policies on tax and welfare, including the 50p rate cut. There was a… Continue reading
51 Comments