Mr Sunak asks us “Do we confront this moment with honesty ,seriousness and determination, or do we tell ourselves comforting fairy tales that might make us feel better in the moment but leave our children worse off tomorrow?”.
The briefing which accompanies his leadership offer tells us this is the man who will control public spending, reduce the deficit with tax rises and then get the economy growing again. He is the man who will not offer early tax cuts as these could fuel inflation.
So let us examine his presentation of his past and future economic management plans.
I am glad he now takes inflation seriously and is now determined to get it down. He is of course the man who approved and signed off the creation of £450 billion of new money during his brief period in office whilst claiming the Bank of England was independent. Indeed, so independent was the Bank that he was also required to sign off a complete indemnity on all the bonds the Bank bought with the new money, as they were bound to fall in value as soon as interest rates went up. The truth is the main policies of printing money and keeping rates down for too long was the policy Mr Sunak endorsed and made possible, putting the full weight of the Treasury behind it. When I and others suggested the last £150bn of the printed money was too far and would be inflationary he disagreed with us. Most did agree with the early offsets to the big damage the covid lockdown did but he continued them long past the recovery which added to price rises.
I am glad he takes controlling public spending seriously. During lockdown he was the biggest spender as Chancellor we have ever had. Most of us agreed there did need to be substantial packages of support to families and businesses whose budgets were wrecked by enforced idleness to meet the health policy priorities. We did not agree with the lax approach to fraud and error in the disbursements. Nor did we see a lot of value for money in the very expensive test and trace schemes he supported and financed. His campaign has not yet identified how he would now find ways of curtailing spending which he did not find as Chief Secretary or Chancellor.
He used to tell us he was a low tax enthusiast but he now tells us tax cuts are unrealistic. He put in place a 31% hike in the business tax rate. He put through an increase in employer and employee’s national insurance, breaking a Manifesto pledge and imposing a new tax on jobs. He put in a new social care tax and an on line shopping levy. He froze thresholds of Income tax driving many more people into higher tax bands. He left office as the Chancellor in a Conservative government who had imposed the highest ever tax burden on the UK. New promises of tax cuts delayed are difficult to believe.
He says he was a pro growth Chancellor, but after a good first year of recovery from covid the economy is now badly slowed by his tax rises on top of the inflation damaging real incomes. It is difficult to see how his policies would suddenly rekindle UK growth when they are all based on Treasury austerity.
July 11, 2022
George Osborn encouraged The Treasury to forecast disaster if we voted for Brexit. Any forecast The Treasury now issue is blighted by their inaccurate model.
Apart from Sir John Redwood no one in Government has the first clue where we are.
July 11, 2022
A handful of others too perhaps but not many. Even fewer understand the realities of the insane net zero agenda preferring to be blowing up coal fired power stations and other daft and dangerous virtue signalling.
July 11, 2022
I would trust Johnson not to eat cheese or drink wine than Sunak as PM.
Sunak has proved to be untrustworthy and incompetent. His failing memory of his green card or non Dom status of wife while serving in cabinet and implementing highest taxes, worse debt, worse deficit, worse inflation, worse disposable income against his claims, and manifesto upon which he was elected, shows me he has lost leave of his senses, very forgetful or a liar.
Based on his appalling record who would buy a promo video based on trust! I am surprised the men in grey suits have not already had a word that he is a liability to the party.
July 11, 2022
Michael Gove has thrown his support behind Kemi he praised Badenoch for a “no-bulls**t” approach.
Does one really want support from a man who wanted to destroy private schools by putting 20% VAT on them and removing their charitable status? Thus making people who use them pay four times over taxes for others, taxes on earning for the fees, the fees and then 20% VAT on top. Hardly a level playing field! Plus he was the man who stabbed Boris in the back making us suffer the appalling, disingenuous, remoaner one Theresa May!
July 11, 2022
He may be trying to split the sound vote.
July 11, 2022
Correction- four women.
July 11, 2022
+many
July 11, 2022
Jacob Rees Mogg is also able. But for the ‘conservative party’ neither are socialist enough…. We need Redwood and Rees Mogg in the Treasury (at least) and the problems left by the worst Chancellor ever will really stretch even them. I believe they will bust a gut to allow the biggest of all employers, Small Business, a chance to fly and drag the U.K. out of the morass by doing so.
July 11, 2022
Problem is Lynn that top jobs often go to those who spearhead the winner’s campaign and as it’s reported that Sir Gavin Williamson is running Rishi Sunak’s bid he might return to a top job (Chancellor? lol or perhaps Defence Secretary again and he can then again tell Russia to shut up and go away) The increase in Corporation Tax apparently doesn’t apply to small businesses as there is some sort of threshold.
July 11, 2022
Lynne,
You forget Tory party now elect by quota. Dowden made that clear before he left, Johnson reiterated his gender neutral, woman leading world as well. He even claimed Putin would not have invaded Ukraine if a woman- despite his classics background where many woman were leaders and did invade!
July 11, 2022
Fishi Rishi .. he had his chance as Chancellor and completely blew it as you poignantly elucidate.
Just hoping Sir J that you get the appointment under a proper brexiteer PM.
That’s who I will be voting for….
July 11, 2022
Indeed. Sir John for PM!
July 11, 2022
The problem is that Sir John is the only one I would trust at the Treasury; he is therefore too indispensable there to also be PM! So who should be party leader? Of the current candidates (it’s been rumoured JRM might stand, but that’s just speculation) the only one to have made the right noises is Braverman. Unfortunately I’m not sure she has the necessary charisma to enthuse the electorate.
I was interested to see that Hunt has teamed up with Esther McVey, but he has declared that he is pro net zero, so that puts him in the looney tunes category. Al the others are too pro EU, pro net zero, pro Trans, pro HS2, and generally hopeless. And then there is Sunak the socialist stooge, whose economic policies are quite literally worse than Corbyn’s!
July 11, 2022
+1 – Well a few more than JR perhaps.
Zack Goldsmith (no degree I think) and Chris Skidmore (Modern History) do not have a clue in the Telegraph today.
“The world is facing immense challenges over energy and food insecurity. We will hear arguments over the course of the next few weeks in this Conservative leadership contest that the environment is a peripheral concern; that instead of leading the transition to cleaner and greener energy sources and galvanising the world into action on the global environment, we need to pause and turn inwards – and that doing so will somehow save money and be popular. Those arguments are wrong on every level.”
Actually the arguments are right on every level the solutions being pushed wind, solar, heat pumps, hydrogen, EVs , walking, bikes, public transport save little or often no co2 anyway. The environment is one thing, the net zero religion quite a different, evil, death causing and a totally deluded one.
July 11, 2022
This government link below gives CO2 emissions by type of transport from London to Glasgow. For cycling and walking it says no emissions (direct or indirect) it is as usual complete drivel. I assume it was prepared either by someone totally ignorant of energy, motion, food production, physics, entropy… or a pure propagandist. In fact walking and cycling are both powered by extra human food intake. Also human engines are less efficient than electric motors. Food requires loads fossil of fuel energy to grow, harvest, butcher, fertilise, fish, feed to animals, package, transport, freeze, dry and cook for human consumption. CO2 depends heavily on the actually diet but on a typical UK diet walking is certainly worse than a small efficient car (with average occupancy of 1.6 that they use).
Cycling is more efficient than walking but even car with one person in can often produce less CO2 than cycling for a meat eater on the food production is allowed for. This even before the hot shower and washing of their cycling outfits needed on arrival.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-energy-and-environment-statistics-notes-and-definitions/journey-emissions-comparisons-methodology-and-guidance
July 11, 2022
I wonder if the people who came up with this table were the same one who think that burning wood (young coal) at Drax saves CO2 too – it actually produces more than burning coal?
July 11, 2022
According to Worldometer the CO2 emissions per capita are 5.55 tons for the UK and 7.38 tons for China. So why are the CAGW/Net Zero activists totally unconcerned about China and only wish to destroy our economy with expensive and intermittent power dependent upon China for the wind turbines, solar panels and raw materials, if not the devices themselves, for motors/generators and batteries.
July 12, 2022
+1
July 11, 2022
Roger Bootle talks much sense in the Telegraph today:- “The next prime minister must end this worship of worthless degrees. Taking on universities and creating a more productive Britain must be priorities, whoever takes the crown”
Indeed. Giving our young worthless degrees, plus three+ years loss of earnings, delusions of their value and £50k + of debt plus 6% PA of interest is insane.
July 11, 2022
As Rees-Mogg is standing….will you be his chancellor John?
reply He isnt
July 11, 2022
They are a complete shower.
Whatever they say they all now lack credibility.
It will be business as usual – all talk and then excuses for not delivering.
At least Johnson is out of the way. The Conservatives are now destined to go the way of The Whigs – and not before time.
It’s just a question of how much damage they do before the next election.
What then happens is anybody’s guess, but we cannot go on as before.
Surprised Wanderer got a Guido reference in down below. Usually they get deleted.
July 11, 2022
Bob Dixon – Remember they are ALL politicians!!!!! YOU are irrelevant.
July 11, 2022
Yes there is, JRM!
July 11, 2022
Good Morning,
Bunter Boris chose a cabinet of inexperienced, intellectual wannabes, in a great experiment of ‘on-the-job’ learning; it has failed miserably. He left the more knowledgable hands languishing on the benches, despite being offered advice many times. Looking at the line-up, we’re going to suffer a similar fate this time too. Is there no one to prevent a second run at catastophe; we can’t afford it!
July 11, 2022
+99
July 11, 2022
Just who are these more experienced hands you are referring to?
July 11, 2022
A very neat summary of the reasons why Mr Sunak is not my choice.
I have heard the claims made about the importance of exprience but I think attitude, vision and intelectual stamina are more important. Suella’ and Kemi’ s separate experiences are not much different than Margaret Thatcher’s and the content of their character is similar also.
July 11, 2022
Conviction and commitment are also important. Frank Furedi’s article in ‘Spiked’ this morning is worth a read.
July 11, 2022
I think Kemi’s the best candidate but they wont allow her a shot. After like our host, she’s a real conservative.
July 11, 2022
Tax cuts without cuts in Socialist State spending means more national debt heaped onto the private sector. Cutting direct and indrect tax is easy, politically. Confronting the unions and Labour’s woke client state authoritarians that are destroying our nation is far more difficult and involves political warfare which may explain why not one single Tory MP including John makes direct reference to it. That subtle deflection away from this issue is why the Tory party even now is more interested in their fortunes of their own party rather than the fortunes of the UK
The country’s a woke, authoritarian dump and it’s been turned into a woke rats nest by all parties
July 11, 2022
Your summing up is spot on.
The next leader of the Cons. will be chosen along those lines.
The ability to out- woke the woke is all that will be required.
July 11, 2022
+many
Oh yes! And oh my….every second in this country now confirms the “dump” it has been allowed to turn into.
July 11, 2022
Exactly! Let’s hear their proposals to cut wasteful spending, release all those state employees who have make-believe jobs into the real world where we need real workers!
July 12, 2022
Carbon foot-print managers, net-zero managers and climate change manager in every department of every local/national government, quango and government funded institution….hundreds of thousands of them
July 11, 2022
+1
July 11, 2022
He’s just following WEF guidelines. He will never be a low tax tory. He’s entirely in the wrong party.
All those that endorse him are Common Purpose messengers.
Your heading for oblivion if he gets the leaders job.
July 11, 2022
The not so honourable member for Davos.
July 11, 2022
Seems so!
July 11, 2022
Indeed Ian. We need rid of him now before he does any more damage.
July 11, 2022
Today wind providing 1.54gw and we are running open circuit gas turbines and one coal plant.
We still have lunatics in the prospective leaders pushing for net zero. Only Braverman has said she’ll kick it into touch.
Not a whisper on the BBc about farmers rioting in Holland but then it doesn’t fit the narrative.
July 11, 2022
There was never a mention on BBC about the Gilet Jaune riots in France either.
July 11, 2022
MWB: Apart from Lucy Williamson ‘Les gilets jaunes’
16/11/2019 ‘Anger of yellow vests still grips France a year on’
06/12/2018 ‘France fuel protests: Who are the ‘gilets jaunes’ (yellow vests)’
and 19/02/2019 and 07/02/2019 and 31/01/2019 and 18/01/2019 and 15/01/2019 and 09/01/2019 and … all that on bbc.co.uk
Poor country, I mean the UK.
BTW, where is the ardent defender of all truths, the P2 knight?
July 11, 2022
MWB: “There was never a mention on BBC … ”
Where do you get the idea that the BBC is about informing people?
It’s degenerated into the worst sort of propaganda rag sheet.
It should be shut down and it’s buildings sold of to housing associations to accommodate refugees.
July 11, 2022
Still trolling me I note heffy with your irrelevant comments.
July 11, 2022
Or Italy, or Germany or Sri Lanka! As you say, it doesn’t suit the narrative!
July 12, 2022
And now in Bautzen(Saxony,East Germany),too.I’ve just seen a clip of huge lines of tractors blocking a road.
July 11, 2022
It’s oblivion anyway as none of the candidates appear to be anti Net Zero – the most economically damaging policy ever invented that even Mr Redwood cannot bring himself to explicitly condemn.
July 11, 2022
+1
I saw a vid yesterday that confirms what you say.
A colleague/friend of Johnson’s said that J did have every intention of doing Brexit and following true Tory values but was seduced by all things globalist.
The man is a weathercock.
But oh dear ….who is next?
July 11, 2022
Cuibono
You got the ‘weather’ bit wrong.
July 11, 2022
They’re all talking about lowering taxes….but not one of them will talk about repealing net-zero or ECHRs, they just haven’t the bottle
July 11, 2022
Glen Cullen
I was just about to make the same point. That would be popular with the electorate
How much longer is Net Zero going to be government policy?
Little mention of the demonstrations by the farmers in Holland and Italy in the media
July 12, 2022
I see in Wales that they’re brining in a national 20mpm speed limit……its social engineering (they don’t work for us – we wor for them) all in the name of climate change
July 11, 2022
They know they can’t withdraw from the ECHR without breaking the Good Friday Agreement (which requires direct enforcement of the ECHR in Northern Ireland).
July 11, 2022
IW :
Mr Sunak is in the right party, the WEF Party. In fact all the Parliamentary parties are WEF parties and are not representative of the nation as evidenced by the last EU elections.
July 11, 2022
Quite, a total fraud. Somehow failed to see the ridiculousness of doing everything you have said while trying to convince us he believed in the opposite.
Economic illiteracy and far too weak to push back against the Treasury and BOE. Don’t also forget zero progress on protecting/freeing up City post Brexit.
We need new blood.,
July 11, 2022
I agree totally with this and the above analysis.
Never did actions speak louder than words to condemn Sunak.
A numerical idiot from the get-go.
July 11, 2022
They want vast inflation in order to impose communism…as directed by their globalist masters.
Wipe out the middle classes.
Look at Turkey!
Obviously the ex Chancellor didn’t.
July 11, 2022
Or possibly Turkey was his blueprint?
July 11, 2022
It appears the far right of the Conservative party is terrified Mr Sunak is going to reject idelogically driven slash and burn economics. All power to Mr Sunak!
July 11, 2022
The far right of the Conservative Party. Now who would that be? I haven’t come across any of them who are holocaust deniers, campaign for an apartheid system favouring Anglo-Saxon heritage or want to burn down mosques. Such people I’m convinced would be shown the door.
Rather than reject slash and burn economics, Sunak has embraced it with his hike of national insurance rates and corporation tax. The casualties being UK business for the benefit of foreign imports.
July 11, 2022
+10000
This ‘far right’ garbage. Drives me nuts.
July 11, 2022
You are on your own buddy
July 11, 2022
You are speaking in support of Mr SlashandBurn himself. Look around you.
July 11, 2022
Sir John still writes as if he expects anyone among the public with half a brain to take his party seriously as one of responsible government.
It’s almost touching, really.
July 11, 2022
+1
July 11, 2022
I suppose NLH, he realises there is no other alternative. The Labour, liberals and commies are not to be trusted since they gave opening to Bliar who is still pulling their strings in the back ground. We also want people who’s families have deep roots in our country, not fly by nights.
July 11, 2022
@NLH
Sadly we take no party seriously as one of responsible government.
A conundrum.
July 11, 2022
Face it sunshine you are a bystander in this event. With your clarity of hindsight you are well provided to say I told you so for the next year.
July 11, 2022
NLH – if you truly believed that you wouldn’t waste your time on this blog, you’d be off drumming up more support on a Leftie blog but if you are here to try and convince us the Left has the answers to issues JR highlights or is even serious about them, then it is you that is delusional.
July 11, 2022
Could it be that NLH is the grit in the oyster that allows our ‘pearls of wisdom’ to grow?
I want him to stay!
July 11, 2022
So who among the candidates for leadership offers business and the individual taxpayer the path that will lead to a profitable economy and a positive thinking population.
July 11, 2022
Not only should he not become PM, but he must not be re-installed as Chancellor either.
July 11, 2022
Indeed he has been an appalling socialist, manifesto ratting, piss down the drain and an inflationary, devalued £, green crap Chancellor.
July 11, 2022
As always LL, you have it exactly!
July 11, 2022
Sunak has been an appalling Chancellor who has left an appalling mess behind him. What sort of fool would think taxing people to fund others to “eat out to help out’ made any sense at all? He did not even cancel the basket case HS2. The man is a socialist, tax to death, manifesto ratting menace. He would probably be a disaster at the 2024 election even if only against the dire Labour/SNP/Libdims.
July 11, 2022
JR From what I’ve seen, the public aren’t keen on Rishi Sunak, precisely because of what you describe. I think we’d get more of the same if he took the PM’s role.
He ignored advice and did the opposite, why? He made things worse, not better!
Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman and Penny Mordaunt seem to be favourites among readers, ‘because they have conservative views!’
July 11, 2022
Suella has come out against continued membership of the ECHR. It’s interesting to see how many of the candidates are seeking to establish clear blue water between themselves and a ‘Conservative’ government.
July 11, 2022
She needs to explain how that would not breach the Good Friday Agreement. She won’t be able to.
July 11, 2022
The Belfast Agreement has been comprehensively breached by the EU in its interpretation of the NIP.
July 11, 2022
Better than the failed socialist dope Sunak certainly.
July 11, 2022
Correct Sharon. GB News have run a poll of who their listeners want as PM and Penny Mordant is favourite. Rishi wasn’t mentioned.
July 11, 2022
I am not keen on Penny because she wants the word women to be replaced by ‘people who get pregnant’ in some legislation. I am very against all this wiping out of the words woman and women. You never hear of anyone trying to wipe out the words man or men.
I hope this woke identity rubbish gets booted out as soon as possible, and we get back to being men and women and lose the idea of having 100+ genders and legislating for it and reprinting every single document with neutral gender words for the woke NHS, police and all the other bandwagon jumpers. I wonder how much money is wasted on pandering to this ideology, along with diversity and critical race theory and all the rest?
July 12, 2022
Shirley. I agree. I would not personally support her . I was just pointing out how tge public don’t seem to support Rishi.
July 11, 2022
We know why they say that they’re not keen, but in many cases we know the real reason amongst Leave voters.
July 12, 2022
Shirley M defined why she isn’t keen on one particular candidate NHL
Yet as usual you claim you can read other people’s minds to dig up ulterior motives.
You lefties are so funny.
July 14, 2022
Some righties are really amusing. It is fascinating. P2, you are the perfect example of someone who ‘reads other people’s minds to dig up ulterior motives’.
The absence of self-assessment in the quality of your own comments is pathetically funny.
But keep on ‘the good work’, you usually make my day …
July 11, 2022
My favourite is Suella Braverman. Certainly all of the women candidates are a better
option than the male contenders. I value your opinion very highly Sir John and I would
like to know at some stage who you are backing and why. Will you use your diary to do
that please.
July 11, 2022
He was thoroughly unfit for office and discredited himself extremely.
His hazards should be dumped in a dangerous waste site, not recycled into a Con to deceive the nation further.
July 11, 2022
If voting intentions at the next GE have any relevance to this run-off, please consider the plight of state pensioners impoverished by breaking the triple lock commitment.
Millions depend on this, and those without generous private or final salary pensions face a difficult winter ahead.
July 11, 2022
[…] Read more about The creation of £450bn of magic money and inflation […]
July 11, 2022
His desire to massively increase corporation tax to 25% is the most inexplicable because it will hamper growth, deter international companies for basing themselves in UK, and so may even reduce his total tax take from the tax. Luckily I haven’t seen a single one of the other candidates say they’d retain this rise and some have pledged to reduce it from the current 19% to 15%. Which in itself is a bit disappointing because it respects the supposed “minimum” world rate for the tax imposed by Joe Biden.
Sunak’s campaign seems to be falling apart anyway, his past and maybe current links with Dominic Cummings are doing him no favours. Kemi Badenoch seems a good candidate – more ministerial experience and two years older than Cameron was when he were elected leader, and older than Sunak too I think.
July 11, 2022
I guess you are off his Christmas card list. Dame Helen Morissey launches a ‘thatcherite’ think tank today I think. Her, Frostie, you etc exactly what this country needs, real policies, real performance, less government interference.
We need a candidate that will buy into to it and work towards it, not Hunt for instance who magically and suddenly believed in Brexit, reforming the NHS but did nothing as Secretary of State etc
July 11, 2022
We need to hear views on Net zero – including the outsourcing of it, sexual id, using focus/social media groups to determine policy, the Northern Ireland protocol and our relationship with the EU, defence of the realm and law and order.
Tax is but one item on the new PM’s agenda and saying they will cut tax is easy. I do not like Mr Sunak (how can a Prime Minister have a wife/influencer who aligns more with another country than the UK [ non-dom status]?).
July 11, 2022
He reminds e of Norman Wisdom
July 11, 2022
Elect me and I’ll undo all my mistakes except the new increased taxes. Isn’t he wonderful.
July 11, 2022
I take it your not a fan of Mr Sunak then !
Come to think it, are any of the past Cabinet members any good, they all went along with the same policies !
I guess Mr Javid did eventually have a mind of his own, but only right at the very end.
July 11, 2022
In other words “ignore what they say and watch what they do.”
Sunak is a Socialist ….. tax, borrow, print, squander Treasury Clone ….. and a globalist/WEF stooge.
He also thinks UK taxes shouldn’t apply to mega-wealthy ethnic minorities who can claim to be Non Doms and not permanently settled in the UK.
A Sunak-led CON Party won’t get my vote.
July 11, 2022
Let us hope Mr Sunak was correct when he spoke of the Chancellorship he vacated as being his “last ministerial job”. Do the 33 MPs who now back his leadership bid have any realization about his performance in office?
July 11, 2022
If the party can change the rules to backstab Boris. Can they not also change the rules to not allow remainers to stand for PM. After all they are trying to overthrow democracy. That in itself should be regarded as shameful with automatic disqualification. They do not represent the country they are hoping to lead. Far more shameful and deceitful than Boris’s party.
July 11, 2022
+1 BW Some of the remainers in Parliament have done far worse than trying to overthrow democracy. The Benn Act was an act of harm (I could use a more descriptive word) against our country, and democracy.
July 11, 2022
What rubbish. A democracy is allowed to change its mind. David Davis said so. After all, if that wasn’t the case, there couldn’t have even been a referendum in 2016.
It is a legitimate, democratic, position that Brexit has proven to be a bad idea and should be reversed. Just because it’s not your position doesn’t mean others in a democracy can’t hold it. Telling others what they can and can’t think about Brexit is an authoritation attitude.
July 11, 2022
*authoritarian
July 11, 2022
If it is via a referendum in a few decades after the last one then why not Peter.
July 11, 2022
Fair comments on Sunak, that he has the gall to claim to be low-tax, spendthrift and of humble background shows he’s confident of a smooth ride from the media and has no compunction about lying. A WEF clone, in my view.
If PM, he’d take the country down and then hand over the reigns to LibLab for the final slide into an authoritarian abyss.
Guido Fawkes lists 35 MPs who currently support him. Why, one wonders? What drives them? I think the progressive “anyone but a white man” doctrine probably boosts Sunak”s support in parliament, but out in the real world most people don’t care what colour their PM is.
July 11, 2022
They must be thinking let’s back the media’s candidate and then he might give us a job and survive.
July 11, 2022
Off topic, I wonder whether you would consider returning to the theme of this article from a year ago?
https://johnredwoodsdiary.com/2021/07/13/the-northern-ireland-protocol/
“The Protocol was cobbled together at speed to get Brexit done, on the understanding that it would need clarifying and improving and was temporary … ”
Meanwhile I have sent a letter to newspapers as follows:
“If the Tories are serious about sorting out the Northern Ireland protocol and completing Brexit they must choose a new leader who is prepared to tell the EU that we will no longer apply any EU checks to goods coming in from Great Britain, but to be helpful we will instead check the goods which may actually need checking, those destined for carriage across the land border into EU territory.
Moreover when physical checks are needed they will be conducted at sites conveniently distributed across the province and well away from the border, in the same way that the Irish Republic checks imports of solid fuel from Northern Ireland away from the border, and the checks will be applied to locally produced goods on their way to the border as well as goods brought in from outside.”
With a reference to this article from November 13 2021 about shipments of solid fuel:
https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/politics/ni-protocol-dublin-called-out-over-hypocrisy-of-its-new-cross-border-customs-checks-3456803
“The Irish government has been challenged to explain how it intends to carry out what it suggested was impossible – reintroducing customs checks on the land border with Northern Ireland.”
July 11, 2022
Sunak’s furlough scheme was ridiculously over-generous. Paying 80% of wages for enforced idleness was too much. After deducting most people’s travelling costs, lunches out and reduced income tax and NI, they were actually better off than had they continued working, although many found lucrative sidelines to increase their income still further.
Government spending has been allowed to get our out of control. I was never a big supporter of Osborne, but he did, at least, reduce spending back to a realistic level during his period in office. Sunak has reversed the process.
I look forward to reading our host’s analysis of each candidate’s proposed programme and record in office.
The final assessment of who should be the next PM will be a significant contribution to the debate.
July 11, 2022
Up to now not one candidate mentions the W word. WASTE.
When business starts struggling the first thing is inward investigation and thinking to identify areas of wasteful practices and processes.
The Rishi way is throw more money at it , very easy to do it’s not his money.
Too many candidates have got baggage aĺl susceptible to investigation and attack from the media and opposition. ” I have done nothing wrong within the rules” doesn’t cut any slack with the electorate.
The perception is your a chancer and not completely honest a Pvte Joe Walker Dad’s Army.
I just hope that ALL candidates are subjected to investigation, no more secret agenda’s. A Web site set up in December 2121 for a leadership challenge speaks volumes about a person’s real character.
What starts as a bad smell always ends up stinking.
July 11, 2022
This needs saying over and over again, and as loudly as possible. Sunak has so clearly been nobbled by his bosses in the Treasury. Who among the other candidates is the most likely to be able to stand up to them? That is the question that most needs an answer. At least there are some embryonic signs of a debate about Taxation emerging, but so far with little depth to it and none of the background that you set out so clearly.
July 11, 2022
Unless the Tory Party can come up with a Conservative with clean hands and a heart as big as an ox, their and our future looks bleak.
I see the Parliamentary Party are now going to present 2 rather than the usual 3 candidates to the electorate. I believe the Parliamentary Party has displayed and consistent lack of judgement over years! Only a few weeks ago they ‘had confidence in Mr Johnson. They also are motivated by the patronage offered by various candidates. They should NOT provide the shortlist. The members should have a free vote of all candidates who present themselves.
We would stand a chance of electing a sound, emotionally healthy individual who is NOT a Warmonger!
Reply The reasons MPs need to choose two final candidates is the winner needs to start with a good base of MP support. If the party in the country elected a leader with little MP support MPs could vote them out. MPs also know much more about the candidates as we work with them closely in Parliament.
July 11, 2022
“MPs also know much more about the candidates as we work with them closely in Parliament.” Do you all see Tugendhat through different eyes? He appears on his Select Committee and on the Liaison Committee to be an xxxx little self promoter with a petty and vindictive grudge against the PM which he doesn’t have the wit to hide.
July 11, 2022
The xxxx makes it look much worse than it was!
July 11, 2022
In contrast, it was interesting to see Suella Braverman wants a ‘return to sound money’: https://twitter.com/SuellaBraverman/status/1545881271120846853
Perhaps all candidates should be asked to define what sound money is and why they think we have had it, or not had it, in sterling in recent years.
July 11, 2022
Jacob Rees Mogg is like the most sensible / mature MP in Parliament. And witty. As well as a bit philosophical, as in ‘so perishes the glory of the world’ (ref: Boris’ downfall even though Jacob supports Boris).
July 11, 2022
And he gets the credit for being one of the ministers who reportedly stopped Johnson caving into SAGE and introducing a lockdown after last Christmas.
July 11, 2022
I think Boris and Jacob worked well as a team. It’s a shame. Boris with the charisma. And Jacob with the depth. What on earth did the Tories get rid of Boris for? Boris deserved a good grilling – and told to grow up. But not the sack.
July 11, 2022
My view too, Ed. But to do as you say, his party would have to grow up too and act more maturely. And act independently of the media reptiles and their owners.
July 11, 2022
Boris has to stand down now obviously. But if there is another leadership contest say in 3 years time (but only if the next candidates proves themselves to be useless), then I don’t see why Boris shouldn’t stand again (nothing in Constitution that says he can’t I don’t think (?) 0 I mean if he was forced to step down). With Jacob advising him like before. It’s not that I think Boris is a genius. I think he’s good. But he (backed up by Jacob) is a lot better than any leadership candidates I see out there at moment.
July 11, 2022
Ali G did a great interview with Rees Mogg. Jacob thinks that Ali G is a genuine half wit but still shows the man respect and even compassion. It’s the only one of very few videos where Ali G seems to actually have any affection for the person he is interviewing and taking the p–s out of. Rees Mogg is a good advertisement for Conservatism.
July 11, 2022
JRM has a cool and rational mind. Only he stood up for the PM when the media were throwing their muck. Only he had analysed the facts and set the record straight. They all should have been up to doing that. They all should have stood up for the PM and prevented the media from destroying his administration. Now they have shown the media can bring down the natural party of government, just by telling lies, all day, every day. All it took was for the disloyal cowards to keep on dissociating themselves, to keep on failing to explain to their constituents what the facts were, as JRM does. BTW his mother’s father was a lorry driver, so some independent, self contained, determined genes there.
July 11, 2022
I thought Boris Johnson should be PM
which was the right call in terms of him winning an 80 seat majority
From the available candidates I now think it should be Liz Truss
July 11, 2022
Christopher: “I now think it should be Liz Truss”
Yes. Any office of State other than the Foreign office, given that she has woeful knowledge of geography ( doesn’t even know the difference between the Black and the Baltic sea. What the hell? They both begin with ‘B’.
So, yea, for god’s sake get her out of the Foreign office. If that means sliding her into the PM’s Chair, well, she can’t do much worse that Boris.
July 11, 2022
Why do these contenders for PM not say what they will do for energy. Wind currently producing around 3% of electricity which is negligible for our energy needs. Strong dollar, with the euro near parity, means that oil and other products priced in dollars will suffer more competition and higher prices over the coming months and heralds a miserable winter. Jonathan Mills, a civil servant, has been appointed director general for energy supply in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and is talking about brownouts which apparently can damage computers.
July 11, 2022
I’m beginning to hear a lot more Tories talk now about the need to pursue a more Green agenda but only as long as the technology is there.
I think this is a great move forwards in terms of philosophy of how we approach energy and the environment (the two are interlinked). I think Green tech firms will be more confident if they feel more Tories are supporting them at this level (this is NOT the same as wasting government money on the Green agenda which I am NOT advocating).
July 11, 2022
Government priorities at this time should be:
– Stop all financial support to global entities, i.e. put our country and people first.
– Stop government department squandering on non-essentials
– bin “Net Zero”
– end illegal immigration (the Rwanda policy should help)
– root out inefficiency in government organisations
I’m sure that there is much else that would help and allow some income tax / NI reductions once the squandering has been controlled.
July 11, 2022
Let me guess who our host will not be supporting to become PM.
The trouble is that too many Tory MPs are federalists and agree with Sunak – Meaning he will most likely be in the last 2. With such a situation Tory members will not exactly be getting candidates they want or the country needs, when they come to vote. I applaud efforts to remove Sunak at an early stage, but fear he is the candidate that the establishment(WEF) want in number 10.
The time is now ripe to promote candidates that would be suitable BREXIT champions, true Tories, with no lack of integrity and who believe in the UK. That would mean excluding the majority of those in Boris’ cabinet.
There are outsiders that deserve to be seen more clearly in the spotlight, for one thing is sure, without a fresh leader, untainted by recent events, nothing will get better for us, or our once great country.
July 11, 2022
I think the Tory tax cutters need to set out a programme of proposed cuts to spending, the public are quite well aware there is huge waste. Sunak was wrong with the last tranche of QE, we must at least in part blame all those ‘experts’ at the BoE and treasury also. But he has been right to say that if spending is spiralling out of control then cutting taxes without addressing that undermines confidence.
July 11, 2022
You seem angry Sir John and rightly so. Sunak mustn’t get anywhere near the cabinet again. He has been a disaster. He might look the part of PM but he wouldn’t get the public support needed to turn this disastrous period of financial mismanagement around. How do you think people will feel when they read in the media that he is the cause of their increased taxes all the while his family has had Non-Dom status. We need someone with honesty, intellect, and integrity to run this country. Someone like you. Please consider standing.
July 11, 2022
If I were Kemi or Suella I would ask John to run as my running mate chancellor, someone experienced, respected in the world of economics, trustworthy to the membership, firm and fair, the only downside would be that we would lose this website.
July 11, 2022
Actually or Liz Truss or Penny, that might address concerns that Liz is too Lib Dem and remain.
July 11, 2022
All the women should be standing on a joint Redwood ticket.
July 12, 2022
I agree Rose, they need to be thinking long-term, shouldn’t the membership know who the intended PM wants as his three running mates, Chancellor, Foreign Secretary, and Deputy.
July 11, 2022
Is it not a fact that the cost of the public sector with, not just the wages but, it’s final salary pensions that many in the private sector have lost due to Gordon Browns tax grab that has never been reversed.
July 11, 2022
If we leave our children worse off tomorrow then Rishi is part of the problem.
He’s managed the situation poorly and is part of the problem and lacks good judgement, based on that he’ll probably get job.
July 11, 2022
What we need is a Prices and Incomes policy to cure the rampant inflation caused by the government. An immediate cap on the basics of milk and steam-baked bread should be brought in to head off Trade Union militancy which is once again with us as always when the government creates rip-roaring inflation as a result of pathological incompetence in the management of the economy. Sandwiches in No !0 (made with Artisan bread) may yet head off a General Strike.
July 11, 2022
Sir John,
Mr Sunak says a lot of things, but judging by his past performance he is unsuitable to be Prime Minister, or Chancellor, or indeed to have any position in government.
From the candidates on offer, the next PM should be a woman.
July 11, 2022
Agree with MT and a real woman conservative to stand up to the group think who have lost their bearings etc.
July 11, 2022
“From the candidates on offer, the next PM should be a woman.”
Why ?
July 11, 2022
None of the male candidates inspire confidence.
July 11, 2022
+1. Please no identity politics.
July 11, 2022
MWB reply:- The men have a recent track record of letting the side down from Hancock to Pincher lost byelection MPs due to their private lives, lying cover up s, financial and tax affairs. There’s another today and we all need a clean break.
July 11, 2022
Not because of their sex, but because Mrs Braverman, Mrs Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, and Mrs Patel are all better than the men on offer.
July 12, 2022
I agree Rose, but I worry Mrs Patel would be slaughtered daily in the press they bully her something badly. Penny Mordaunt is being linked with Bill Gates as though she is a patsy for him; what is that about? They’re digging up videos about Liz Truss from when she was a teenager; for goodness sake, people grow up, get more intelligent and change their opinions all the time; Bercow kidded people for years that he was a Tory.
July 11, 2022
The economic ‘Elephant in the room’ though is the QE that was going on between 2007/8 to 2019 that was keeping the interest rate market from functioning properly over that time interval.
July 11, 2022
Perhaps there would not have been the acceptance (or even enthusiasm) for continued lockdown had there not been the £450bn magic money available.
I went out and worked in the pandemic as a key worker and proved there was little risk to the vast majority of people like me as I knew (from the first two weeks) that there would be.
So here we are criminals made billionaires from furlough fraud, a wrecked economy and the inflationary Kraken awakened from the seabed (how on earth are we going to kill it ?)
But worse. Much worse.
Perhaps it is just me – but I now know personally 17 who have died from the consequences of lockdown but none from Covid itself. Included in this list of friends, relatives and colleagues (many under the age of sixty) is my brother who committed suicide recently.
Lockdown was a lethal policy in every sense of the word. It has gravely damaged health both mental and physical but we’ll never know because Whitty et all is not the slightest bit interested in counting the damage. The policy that we must achieve Zero Covid at ANY price was a wicked one and it turns out that Boris’s team didn’t really believe in it themselves either. (Partygate)
Now the same officials tell us a sunny day is something to be terrified of and that we must hide from it.
Doubtless Sunak will pay for our suncream soon.
July 11, 2022
Really sorry to hear of your family tragedy, NLA. I fear there will be many more to come from the long-term consequences, affecting a lot of families and people of all ages. How much more often do you hear ambulance sirens now than during the lockdowns?
We just have to hope that the politicians and bureaucrats who inflicted lockdowns on us will meet their just desserts for their criminal actions, whether in this world or the next.
July 11, 2022
well I don’t ever hear ambulance sirens, police cars yes.
All the ambulances are in hospital carparks waiting to offload a patient.
July 11, 2022
The Green tree of the Conservative logo should have a withered Money tree logo like Labour instead after an unbelievable half a Trillion blowout.
Sorry Rishi but there’s no money left and your preference for publicity, PR, photo shoots of waiter and fake petrol filling don’t cut the mustard, more like custard.
Lockdown Rishi instead.
July 11, 2022
If Sunak or Hunt win the leadership race I won’t vote Conservative again.
Reform UK will be a major force again (I expect Farage to return to lead them).
Strangely, the candidate who stands out most is Kemi Badenoch despite her low profile and lack of cabinet experience. Anyone who has listened to her views would realise that she is a true small-c conservative. She may not have the wit or charm of a Johnson personality, but she has a way of quietly dismantling the arguments of her opponents and that is a far more useful skill than mere charm.
July 11, 2022
XY, I doubt it Farage is having far too much fun carping on at GB News, the more I have got to see of him the less I like of him so that is good. I watch him to get a measure of him. On GB News Nigel wanted to be shut of Boris but didn’t have a replacement in mind “I’m not going to give you a name, I haven’t got one, maybe Priti Patel, maybe Nadhim Zahawi, maybe the local MP here [Penny Mordaunt], I don’t know.”
July 11, 2022
And she’s an engineer.
July 12, 2022
wit or charm tends to be BS.
July 11, 2022
When in a depression the last thing you do is put up fuel prices and the cost of money. In USA, inflation will start to come down soon but not hear. Farmers need red DEV back at 65p per litre and UK halulage for food and drink on red DEV now 114p a litre also need red gas for electric gas station and businesses and the cost of money kept at one and half per cent. You need tax cuts, best way is to rise the freshholds on the 20% to 287 pounds and same for NI which will give workers a extra 15 pounds a week and go ahead with pension increase also order and pay for new DEV refinery or there will be no growth and 9 new coal power station, build on top of the coal mine’s, you do not have the DEV to go fracking for gas or the lorries, you will go into deflation but it will good deflation instead bad, it will cost alot of money but will comeback by way of growth, want you need is deflation in right places while ramping up growth.
July 11, 2022
If those struggling to pay mortgages are hit any more , they may lose their properties and parents will not be able to leave monies or property to their offspring,so it hits the next generation in a bigger way.
July 11, 2022
So who should be the next PM?
Someone who has never supported the Climate Change Act, opposed Net Zero, will turn the tide of legal and illegal immigration, never supported lockdown, opposed the Covid Act, has opposed the ‘vaccinations’, the campaign of fear and mandatory vaccination. Someone who will cut taxes, leave the ECHR, Cut the size of the CS, introduce policies to ensure energy security and food security, clamp down on BLM and ER and other disrupters. Prevent schools teaching CRT and othery wokery, especially the alphabet soup of genderism. Someone who will support free speech and peaceful protest. Someone who will support the FAMILY.
Please step forward those who qualify. Your country needs you!
July 11, 2022
So – not someone in the Conservative party, then.
July 11, 2022
BOF
The one problem with your sensible suggestion is that there doesn’t appear to be anyone who fits the bill, and as for Jeremy hunt PM …. Surely someone is having a laugh?
July 11, 2022
The three most sound and suitable ladies – Mrs Badenoch, Mrs Braverman, and Mrs Patel, have all been bound by collective responsibility.
July 11, 2022
I recall Gove bleating admiringly about Frankfurt School ideology and I knew then that duplicitous party had gone to the dark side and embraced Post Modernism and the poison of regressive left wing barbarism for no other reason than to protect their party from damage.
I also recall Johnson saying and I quote ‘he saw no harm in Woke ideology’
People vote for these two-faced wretches and these wretched parties who promote this cancerous, destructive ideology
Tory MPs who sit in silence while this cancer is pushed by public sector unions, Labour the US progressives are simply betraying themselves while damaging all our futures
Frost demands that Dorries makes changes to the sinister Online Harms Bill. No, no changes. It must be abolished for if scum Labour get in it is game over for free speech
July 11, 2022
Rishi – too flash, Expensive and fake.
July 11, 2022
I don’t mind expensive or flash. What I mind is that he didn’t stand up to the civil servants in the Treasury. And he let the spin doctors change him.
July 11, 2022
If Nadhim Zahawi does not make it to the top slot, then I hope who ever does, keeps him as chancellor as he is the only one on the list who can stand up against the Treasury and their down-beat forecasts and our economy can start to grow again.
July 11, 2022
You are clearly not “ready 4 rishi” JR…. Should we put you down as a maybe? 😂
zorro
July 11, 2022
I hope Tory MPs have read JR’s blog above and all of these comments. More than that, I hope they consult their constituency membership (and not just the executives).
July 12, 2022
constituency membership being a tiny fraction of the constituency electorate.
July 11, 2022
It’s not tax cuts that are unrealistic, it’s the current high level of public expenditure. Whoever the next Chancellor is, I have heard no programme of cuts totalling £100 billion pa from any leading Conservatives. I want the cuts to be detailed and quantified. Why don’t you have a go?
July 11, 2022
Nearly forgot. Candidate must be a brexiteer!
July 11, 2022
In the absence of Boris Johnson and John Redwood and also in the absence of personal acquaintance with any of them, it seems to me that by far the best of the present leadership candidates is Suella Braverman. At least she has consistently (even when a Minister) said what she thinks, even when she has been in a tiny minority. Indeed she is absolutely right about leaving the European Court and Convention of Human Rights. We cannot be half in and half out nor, as Mr. Raab suggests, try to evade its jurisdiction when it suits our government while remaining within it.
(Words left out) Yet Suella Braverman seems so clearly better than any of the others who are standing (and a genuine ‘conviction politician’) that I would recommend supporting her.
July 11, 2022
We used to ignore the rulings of the ECHR if they didn’t suit. For example, the ruling that we had to let prisoners vote. The Lord Chancellor’s problem is how to get reforms through this irresponsible parliament.
July 11, 2022
Here is the title of another article: “Stupid things this Tory administration has done”.
(1) Sanctioning people and organisations for purely political reasons. That’s the international standing of the City of London down the drain. Thank you very much!
Who is going to invest in the City, if their money can be confiscated on the whim of the current government?
(2) Printing extraordinary sums of sterling and shutting down the British economy during the period 2020/2021. Remember the two weeks to save the NHS lie?
Being the direct source of out inflationary problems today!
(3) Related to (1) above. Forcing industry ( BP & Shell, for example ) to divest themselves of (£20bn) productive assets, thus undermining the ability of companies to invest for the future. Why would you invest in say an oil refinery, expecting a return on investments over thirty years if the government is going to force you to close it down in five?
(4) Why would you invest in an Oil refinery for example, when the UK government has mandated that the industry it serves will be made illegal in five years time. (Internal combustion engines to be phased out ).
By the way, those assets in Russia that the British government forced BP & Shell to dispose of. Going to be picked up cheap by CNOOC. Thus aiding our competitors.
Smart!
July 11, 2022
And what are Mr. Sunak’s views on immigration and Net Zero? A continuation of current policies will destroy the UK socially and economically. We need referendums on both to stop the madness.
July 11, 2022
It does not matter who is voted in as the next “conservative in name only party” PM, the Globalist UK Establishment control the agenda. If you really think anyone of the 650 MPS from both parties is concerned about YOU then think again,Self preservation is the name of the game. Until the whole system of government is changed, remember we are all subjects at present, NOTHING will happen. However change is coming.
Wake up people, Ignorance is Bliss, Truth is Harsh.
July 11, 2022
If my Remainer MP is an early backer of Mr Sunak then he’s highly unlikely to be my choice for the leadership of the CP.
Mr. Sunak is another ‘anywhere’ person.
July 11, 2022
Why are the two Anne Maries backing Tugendhat?
July 11, 2022
Sir JR
Interesting perspective but considering this was the full government policy , it becomes rather parochial when there are 12 candidates for the job as leader of the conservative party.
On the debt you were less worried before, but this does not seem to worry you now.
Reply Whatever are you trying to say? More negative nonsense for the sake of being negative.
July 11, 2022
“The reasons MPs need to choose two final candidates is the winner needs to start with a good base of MP support. If the party in the country elected a leader with little MP support MPs could vote them out. MPs also know much more about the candidates as we work with them closely in Parliament.”
Sir John, in terms of the functioning of Parliament, I don’t doubt your analysis of why candidates need to be whittled down to two by Parliamentary members before putting them before the party membership.
However it’s becoming ever clearer that the views of most parliamentarians are completely out of kilter, indeed often diametrically opposed, to the views of the electorate on many policies. For example, 75% of Westminster MPs favour Remain versus 48% of voters. The frustration of voters is palpable.
July 11, 2022
Why do Conservative MPs not use a FPTP system to designate the last two, but a multi-round system? Strange.
July 11, 2022
A fine piece Sir John. I’m getting a very strong sense that #Redwood4Sunak won’t be troubling the Twitter feeds any time soon! Nor would I expect sensible Conservative members to vote for his economic self flagellating non vote winning policies either if he as seems likely ends up in the top two.
July 11, 2022
Yes, a combination of too much lockdown with loss of production, and too much money printing gives inflation.
I wish you, JR, were chancellor. Don’t understand why Sunak is so popular with MPs.