Strange days, indeed. While most of the frontpages today are unflattering for Labour – particularly, and unsurprisingly, those of the Telegraph and the Sun – I imagine that Brown & Co. will be quite pleased with the general tone of the Budget coverage. Much of it mirrors the Independent’s view that Darling “played a weak
Was that a Budget sufficient to the fiscal nightmare that we face? Well, I think we all could have answered that question before Alistair Darling stood up at the dispatch box, but now we can at least be sure: no, it wasn’t. The government’s overall spending plans remain roughly the same as they were in
1400, UPDATE: The technical problems should have been resolved now. The complete live blog is now showing below. 1346, PH: Cameron sits down, and we’ll sign off. Apologies, again, for the technical problems – I filled in some of the gaps below. More from Coffee House soon. 1345, JF: Turn to page 178 of the
Stay tuned for live coverage at 1200. A Budget live blog will follow at 1230. 1201: And we’re off. Brown starts with condolences for the fallen. The first question from Mike Penning is a punchy one: when did the PM realise he “mislead” the Chilcot Inquiry? Before or after? Brown responds by pointing out that
There are, lest you need reminding, two levels of deception on Budget Day. First, there’s the Chancellor’s Budget statement, which is pretty obviously spun to put the best light on things. I refer you to when Brown triumphantly announced a 2p cut in the basic rate of income tax in his final Budget statement, while
If there’s one thing distinguishing this morning, then it’s just how placid everything feels. The clouds are moving sluggishly across the sky; there’s little excitement about the measures expected in the Budget; and there are no stories about rifts between the Prime Minister and the Chancellor. Indeed, Downing St insiders tell the FT that relations
Exactly what you want at the end of the working day: Alistair Darling’s video preview of the Budget. I’ve watched it so that you don’t have to, and it’s striking just how much emphasis the Chancellor places on “unlocking private sector investment” to “ensure growth”. There’s probably nothing in it, but it does make you
One of the best things about this Brave New Web World is how it helps you to draw upon the talents, knowledge and expertise of people around the world. We certainly had that in mind when we asked CoffeeHousers to help us track down the tricks and deceptions in last year’s Budget – and now
If, as expected, Alistair Darling reduces his borrowing forecasts tomorrow, it’s worth keeping two particular points in mind: 1) This government has always tended to underestimate its borrowing levels. Ok, so you might argue that the government couldn’t have foreseen that public sector net borrowing would rise to £178 billion in 2009/10 when it predicted
…confirms David Cameron, at his monthly press conference. If you didn’t catch last night’s Dispatches, Butterfill is the Tory MP who said, among other things, that it is “quite likely that I will go to the Lords,” and that this is “another string to my bow as far as you’re concerned”. More on him from
Last night’s Dispatches programme was a concentrated double blow for Labour. Not only did the limelight burn more unflatteringly on their party, but it has also undermined their careful Budget operation. For the next few days, at least, it’s possible that broken politics may trump the broken economy in the public mind. And Alistair Darling
…according to the Beeb just now. And if you watched tonight’s Dispatches programme, you’ll know exactly why. Nick Robinson comments that the “Labour leadership” will delight in “taking revenge” on three figures who have ruffled Brown’s feathers on multiple occasions – so it continues to look like backbiting and politicking will take priority over geniune
Paul Goodman wrote a thought-provoking article for ConHome last week, in which he suggested that “authenticity vs artificiality” will be one of the key battles of the forthcoming election. Not only do voters crave authenticity after years of spin, deception and malice on the part of politicians, wrote Goodman. But, also, this election is specifically
George Osborne must have changed breakfast cereals, or something, because he’s suddenly a different man. After the Tories muddied their economic message to the point of abstraction a few weeks ago, there’s now a new clarity and directness about the shadow chancellor’s languange. Exhibit A was his article in the FT last week. And Exhibit
Busted. Yep, that’s the word which first sprung to mind when I read the Sunday Times’s expose of MPs and their dirty lobbying work. Hoon, Hewitt, Byers – they’re all revealed as providing influence and access for cash, and a lot of cash at that. But it’s Byers who comes out of it the worst.
Ed Miliband certainly isn’t one for holding back, is he? In an interview with today’s Guardian he discusses what we might expect from the Labour manifesto, and there’s some pretty noteworthy stuff in there: a People’s Bank based around the network of Post Offices; an increase in the minimum wage; a reduction in the voting
So there we have it: talks between the BA management and Unite have collapsed, and the strike is back on for midnight tonight. Throw in the news that railway workers have also voted in favour of strikes, and it looks like there will be more transport trouble ahead. Politically-speaking, the government won’t enjoy operating against
The Times’s Sam Coates first posted this image, relating to this news story, last night – but it’s worth repeating here. One thing to note is that there’s no mention of immigration:
Yep, it’s that time of the year again – when the government starts briefing about the contents of the Budget. First up, there’s the news that Alistair Darling may cut projected borrowing figures by £5-10 billion, thanks to higher-than-expected tax receipts. And then there’s Peter Mandelson’s claim that new tax rises would have to be
