Let’s hope Rishi Sunak is managing to relax with his family during the Christmas holidays. Because he will need every drop of energy to overcome the headwinds raging against the Tories that make this week’s Storm Gerrit look like a light breeze.
The Prime Minister deserves credit for restoring calm to the Government following unprecedented party turmoil and stabilising the economy amid a global inflation crisis.
But despite these successes, nothing he does or announces appears to be making a difference. Having sunk to the seabed in the polls during the Truss interregnum, the Conservatives show little sign of resurfacing.
The only thing offering them a crumb of comfort is a new opinion poll showing the brittleness of Labour support. Just 15 per cent of people say they are certain to vote for Sir Keir Starmer.
That’s not surprising. Instead of a compelling vision to grab the public’s imagination, Labour has only a gaping policy void.
The Prime Minister deserves credit for restoring calm to the Government following unprecedented party turmoil and stabilising the economy
However, if the Government is to persuade voters that the future is brightest under the Tories, it must pull out all the stops. The Budget, on March 6, will be one of the last chances to create a clear dividing line with Labour before the next general election.
It is welcome, then, that the PM is promising a ‘gear shift’ in cutting the eye-watering tax burden hammering families and firms. He should also take the axe to bloated public spending. And on housing, the Tories must grasp this opportunity to enthuse voters at both ends of the great journey of life.
First, young people. It is morally indefensible that many cannot get on the housing ladder because prices are far beyond their reach, especially in the South East.
Reforming stamp duty or reviving Help to Buy schemes could help first-time buyers, although ministers must beware such measures don’t overheat the market.
But surely the best solution would be to build more properties – and ignore the principle-free Lib Dem Nimbys, who back new homes everywhere, except near them.
Just 15 per cent of people say they are certain to vote for Sir Keir Starmer
Reforming stamp duty or reviving Help to Buy schemes could help first-time buyers, although ministers must beware such measures don’t overheat the market
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt could scrap pernicious inheritance tax – or slash the rate by half or more
It’s not rocket science. If the Tories don’t make it easier for the young to purchase homes, the young won’t vote for the Tories.
Meanwhile, to help those entering their twilight years, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt could scrap pernicious inheritance tax – or slash the rate by half or more.
Labour would predictably portray this as pandering to the rich. But after years of rising property prices and frozen thresholds, what was intended as a levy on the wealthy now routinely hits the middle classes.
The desire to pass something down to one’s children is a fundamental human aspiration, so much so that even those who wouldn’t benefit from the threshold rise support it as being fair.
In reality, the Tories still have a decent story to tell. Inflation is coming to heel, the economy is not in recession and a report by accountants PwC finds the UK’s outlook is ‘far rosier’ than many of our G7 rivals.
But Mr Sunak must now fire up the afterburners. The countdown to the election is ticking and there is not a moment to lose.
It is difficult to exaggerate the Budget’s importance. The Tories cannot afford to bungle it. For it will not only define the Government’s immediate prospects – but the political and cultural future of our country.
Navalny’s courage
As Vladimir Putin’s political nemesis, Alexei Navalny has suffered arbitrary arrest, a near-fatal poisoning and torment in prison, on the tyrant’s orders.
Vladimir Putin’s political nemesis, Alexei Navalny has suffered arbitrary arrest, a near-fatal poisoning and torment in prison, on the tyrant’s orders
But in the face of such adversity, Mr Navalny remains defiant, taking to social media to tell his supporters not to worry
Navalny’s extraordinary courage and resilience is a powerful reminder that Putin, by contrast, is a coward and moral degenerate
After being locked up for 19 years on trumped-up charges, the opposition leader is now in a notorious Arctic gulag – one hellish even by the standards of Russian jails.
But in the face of such adversity, Mr Navalny remains defiant. This week, he took to social media to tell his supporters not to worry – and to joke that he is like ‘the new Santa’.
His extraordinary courage and resilience is a powerful reminder that Putin, by contrast, is a coward and moral degenerate.