22 November 2023 , 16:05
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The best politicians hum the tune the rest of the country is singing.
Jeremy Hunt was way off key yesterday. This was a desperate mini-budget by a Chancellor desperate to avoid a Conservative meltdown at the general election. With nothing to show after 13-years in power, Mr Hunt was forced to leaf through a dog-eared guidebook to previous Tory victories.
He tried to square pensioners by retaining the triple lock, there was sprinkling of extra cash to help the self-employed and small businesses and, for an encore, the 2p of the rate of National Insurance Contributions.
The fact he is bringing forward the NICs cut to January next year will fuel speculation Rishi Sunak is planning a Spring election. The sugar-high from the tax cuts could be short-lived and with it the Tories’ prospects at the polls.
Mr Hunt may have the air of middle-ranking bank manager but not even his reassuring manner could disguise the dire state of the nation’s bank account. Growth is anaemic, the overall tax burden is rising and living standards undergoing their biggest squeeze in 70 years. The Chancellor was out of tune yesterday because he did not listen to the public mood.
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He resorted to giveaways, bungs and bribery at a time when people want schools which are not crumbling, a care system that delivers care and an NHS which works. The Tories are using a roadmap from the 1980s to navigate the political landscape of the 2020s. No wonder they are on the road to nowhere.