Last May the government, with Rishi Sunak as Chancellor, decided the civil service should be cut back to the size it was pre-Brexit.[1] That would be a reduction of about 91,000 or £6.9 billion growing annually with salary increases not to mention (as government rarely does) the whopping unfunded consequential pensions. That remained the policy… [Read More]
During last week’s Autumn Statement, the Chancellor praised the Armed Forces in one breath, whilst also failing to fund the British military to the level which it is required to operate. Announcing that defence spending confirmation would have to wait until the new ‘review of the review’ is conducted, sometime likely next spring, he hinted… [Read More]
‘Sustainable public finances provide the stability and confidence that underpin the economy, supporting businesses and households across the country. By taking the responsible decisions needed to achieve fiscal sustainability, the government is providing the necessary conditions for economic growth.’ If you recognise this, well done for reading last Thursday’s Autumn Statement. This is the first… [Read More]
Compassion is the latest meaningless, feel-good gobbledygook used by campaigners to shut down serious political discussion on welfare reform. Welfare is one of the most expensive things any government does. Payments to the sick, unemployed and low waged will total £142 billion next year. Only pensions and healthcare are more expensive. We’re at risk of… [Read More]
Out of date. Out of time. But not yet out of favour (in Westminster). The Chancellor’s decision to protect the triple lock on pensions last week, in a statement that promised radical spending cuts across the rest of the board, was a blasé wave of the proverbial middle finger in the direction of Britain’s working… [Read More]
Kwasi Kwarteng was lambasted for turning No10 from a ‘nightclub into a casino’ as he banked on a plan for growth via a series of mild tax cuts, leaving borrowing to fill any shortfalls in state spending. Yet, Andrew Marr described the Autumn Statement thus: ‘Sunak and Hunt hope that talking tough will lead the… [Read More]
In order to recession-proof our public finances, it is clear that a balance had to be found between paying off our debts and caring for the poorest in society, whilst still creating the conditions for growth, enterprise and investment for a stable economic recovery. That balance has not yet been found, simply because there are… [Read More]
Progression to Higher Education In the year 2020/21, a total of 234,590 pupils under 19 progressed into a Higher Education (HE) institution – only 510 of these pupils had been looked after in care continuously for 12 months or more at 31 March 2017. This means that of all children continuously looked after for 12… [Read More]
The Nation’s Health not the National Health Service should be the priority of government. As an Englishman living in France who worked in the NHS some long time ago, it is of great sadness to me that political dogma and the refusal to accept criticism of what has become a national icon manages to blank… [Read More]
In Inclusive Britain, the Minister for Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, has fought back against the dominant divisive identity politics of our time and defended the liberal-conservative ideal of the individual guided by personal responsibility and public spirit. Racial identitarianism portrays people as members of groups defined by their superficial outward appearance. It discourages individuals from seizing… [Read More]