The coming weeks are decisive for the Conservatives – not just because of the frustrating wait for Sue Gray’s report on Downing Street parties.
As we head towards a spring of tax hikes and soaring prices, the prime minister and chancellor will come to a major crossroads in the cost of living crisis.
The truth is it couldn’t be a worse time for a government to be paralysed by its own drama.
For months, inflation has spiralled out of control. The cost of a weekly food shop is up. Gas and electricity bills are skyrocketing. Everyone is noticing the difference.
The government’s answer? Painfully whacking up national insurance contributions for working people and businesses.
To know how to fix this, you have to look at why we’re here. It’s partly down to disruption and extra red tape from the government’s patchwork Brexit deal, one that’s left businesses, workers and consumers facing shortages, delays and higher prices.
But it’s not just over the last year that Tory failures have taken hold. It’s over the last decade. Their incompetence and inability to plan over the…
