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John Redwood@johnredwood21h

@Sir_Moanalot_ I made clear I was talking about the Jaguar brand. Try reading what I write to avoid making wrong replies.

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John Redwood@johnredwood22h

UK government policy is to close all factories making petrol and diesel cars by 2030. That means big job losses. Customers may then buy fewer new cars, with a likely emphasis on cheaper Chinese battery car imports. Lift the ban now to save jobs.

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John Redwood@johnredwood22h

Today on ... I set out ten government policies that cut economic growth and put up unemployment.

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John Redwood@johnredwood23h

Do the people who propose abolition of the triple lock for the state pension want to legislate to repeal the contributory basis of the pension and abolish the National Insurance fund which pays for it?

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John Redwood@johnredwood23h

The Jaguar job losses are worrying but not surprising. The brand has produced no cars this year, refusing to make the diesel and petrol cars people want to buy. It has delayed new and expensive battery cars, unlikely to sell in the numbers of the great Jaguars of the past.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 6

Is there no public spending the government thinks wasteful that it could cut? The give away to Mauritius? Carbon capture projects? Benefits to some young people with no requirement to look for work? Losses at the nationalised industries?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 6

Many days to the budget will bring damaging speculation over higher taxes. The last two pre budget run ups undermined confidence and led to the flight of better off people and business investment. Why no government talk about less spending? Why not rule out tax rises?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 6

The government promises more money for defence. Our soldiers face training cuts with too little money for the current shrunken army. When will the money reinforcements arrive?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 5

Good to see Ed Miliband defending the Falklands. They are developing their new oil field. Why is he against us doing the same in the UK?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 5

Yesterday I defended the triple lock and reminded Lords pressing for its abolition that the state pension is not a welfare benefit. It is an entitlement based on National Insurance contributions. The government is right to raise the retirement age as life expectancy rises.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 5

If the government were serious about growth, better paid jobs and having more tax revenue to spend it would approve new oil and gas fields promptly. They should welcome the investment and lower CO 2 than imports they bring.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 4

Argentina’s attempt to assert its false claim to the Falklands needs to be resisted. Where is the strong response from Mr Burnham to reassure the islanders the UK will protect them and respect their wishes?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 4

The Bayeux tapestry shows the Normans subjugating England. In Parliament the great paintings of Trafalgar and Waterloo show British forces liberating Europe from French conquest. Each records the sad deaths caused by forces seeking to impose military rule.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 4

Yesterday I raised the issue of the Bank of England continuing to sell UK bonds when they are already very weak in the market. Taxpayers and the Treasury have to pay for the Bank’s big losses. Why such self harm? How much higher does the government want its borrowing rate to go?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 3

Mr Burnham runs both No 10 and No 10 (North). He should publish a schedule of when he is at each. How many staff have to travel to Manchester to help him when he is working there? How many staff work full time in the North and what are their responsibilities?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 3

Still no news from John Healey on how to pay for the extra defence spending he used to propose. Mr Burnham said yesterday he was upping defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030, only to be corrected later by No 10 ( south). They will delay this crucial decision until next spring!

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 3

The main devolved power regional Mayors will have is the power to impose a new visitor tax. That way they can double up on the loss of jobs and business closures in hospitality caused by the anti business taxes and laws of the Starmer government.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 3

Mr Burnham refused to rule out more tax rises. There will be damaging speculation for many days until the budget, hitting confidence, putting off investment. More wealthy people and businesses will take their jobs and investments elsewhere.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 3

As we consider the Bayeux Embroidery we should remember the many killed by this French invasion. English men and women had their lands stolen. Many were put into serfdom by a new Norman governing class.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 2

Devolving more to Mayors prevents a national strategy to end rough sleeping or to boost growth.Nationalising more puts up public borrowing, making it dearer to buy or build new homes. See ... for why the new policies will fail.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 2

Mr Burnham’s refusal to rule out tax rises in the budget hits confidence and drives up interest rates, losing us investment and new jobs. Rachel Reeves did that twice. Why do it a third time?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 2

What first attracted Mr Burnham to nationalisation? Was it the way the Post Office falsely imprisoned managers? The daily loss of £1.3 m at British Steel? The huge delays and cost overruns at HS2? The sewage nationalised water used to tip into rivers without telling us?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 2

As some of us have warned, bond markets are unhappy with ideas for more state spending, more nationalisation and more taxes on business. The thirty year UK interest rate hit 5.86%, the highest of the advanced world.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 1

HS2, Network Rail, British Steel and the Post Office are all nationalised and costing taxpayers dearly. We cannot afford more nationalisation.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 1

This government has made a big increase in money and staff for services on top of big increases made in 2019-24. So why do so many public sector leaders admit their services still have problems? When will they tackle the falls in productivity and quality?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 1

The UK should not share our nuclear capability with Europe in the vain hope of foreign money to help. That is not the way to pay for our defence. There are plenty of spending cuts to make in the overblown benefits bill and net zero excesses.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodSep 1

John Healey complains about a £4.7 bn black hole in the budget he inherited from Rachel Reeves. It didn't take much finding as it is some of the extra defence money he wanted where they never agreed how to pay for it. He should blame himself.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 31

The Governor of the Bank of England warns of dangers if people had to start selling off AI shares. No mention of the damage he is doing by selling so many bonds to drive up interest rates, sending a big bill to the Treasury for losses.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 31

With diesel at £1.80 or more VAT on it has soared to 30 p a litre on top of the fuel duty. The Chancellor could cut the VAT if he was serious about the cost of living. Instead he rips us off and blames the oil companies.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 31

Oil companies already pay a high windfall tax on top of a special higher rate of corporation tax . The resulting 78% tax rate is destroying jobs and our oil and gas industry. A further tax hike would just accelerate the damage. Why kill the goose that lays the golden eggs?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 30

@vinceandpen No of course I do not support UK membership of the Single market or Schengen. I do welcome the democratic decision of Iceland not to become members of the EU and to realise the threat from surrender of sovereignty.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 30

Congratulations to Iceland for the EU referendum. The EU did huge damage to the UK fishing industry, still not put right under a bad Withdrawal Agreement. Iceland has an important fishing industry which is best managed at home.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 30

@TheFinalAudit The Chancellor can at any time rule out tax rises. How many more do they want? Why allow speculation over so many different ways to damage the economy?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 30

The government shows in its attitudes to wealth, savings and business success it is much more driven by jealousy and spite than the voters. It should mind the gap as it sets about deterring more enterprise and hard work with tax threats.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 30

How many more mean, damaging stories of possible tax rises will the government tolerate or promote? There is a parade of hostility towards success, profit, small business, savings, property ownership, business investment , all things which help growth and jobs.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 30

Twice Rachel Reeves allowed two months of speculation about tax rises before a budget. Twice it hit confidence and lost us jobs. So why is John Healey doing the same for a third year of gloom?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 29

John Healey resigned over the government’s refusal to increase defence spending to 3% of GDP this Parliament. So why is he not increasing it now he controls the money?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 29

Mr Burnham promised to reform social care but has delayed it for a review. He promised to end homelessness but has not said how he will achieve it. He promised to tackle the cost of living but has put energy prices up. He promised to listen to local people but ignores what he

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 29

Ministers have said social care, welfare, the NHS, prisons, criminal justice, immigration and homelessness policy are broken. When are they going to mend them? They are spending lots more money, have passed new laws and need to take responsibility for the failures.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 28

There is an easy solution to the autism services problem. If a private company wants to charge too much or provide a poor service NHS managers should not buy that service. Isn’t that why the NHS employs them?

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 28

The last government did not stop the boats. This one made it worse by repealing the law to stop illegal arrivals claiming asylum and giving up on deportation to Rwanda. They did keep Conservative changes to bring legal migration down which helps reduce numbers needing homes and

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 28

Labour inherited an economy that was the fastest growing in the G7 for the last six months under the Conservatives, with 2% inflation. Labour’s big tax rises, extra regulations and crazy net zero policies have put up prices and unemployment and closed many businesses.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 28

A government that has been in office for 2 years with a big majority and lots of extra taxes to spend has to accept they are now to blame for anything wrong in the public sector. They could have changed anything they thought was bad in their inheritance by now.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 27

@tonguei66408226 No. I support not giving money and Chagos to Mauritius, not paying £660 m to France for failing to stop boats, and not switching from Turing to Erasmus costing £700 m etc

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↻Brexit Facts4EU.Org@Facts4euOrgAug 27

Exclusive: 30% of all taxes you pay go on people’s benefits. Finally, the mind-boggling UK debt and spending numbers - made real. Facts4EU reveals how your money is spent and how the UK’s £3 trillion debt hits YOU in your pocket. Summary: ... Pls re-post! ...

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 27

Mr Burnham says he wants entrepreneurs and investors to stay in the UK. He needs to rule out any more tax rises. Why doesn’t he say that? The run up to the budget with threats of many tax attacks is damaging confidence and driving people out.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 27

The UK PM has as his first duty to keep us safe through upholding our sovereign nuclear defence capability. Selling or transferring a bit of it to the Germans would compromise or muddle that crucial national safeguard.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 27

The UK has fought too many European wars with great loss of life. The government should ensure it does not get dragged into another one. The security guarantees we offer should be the NATO ones backed by US military power which makes the guarantee credible.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 26

Labour’s lop sided devolution in 1997 left out England. Now Mr Burnham wants to break up England into unloved EU style regions and give them powers to carry out his centrally determined agenda. That is the opposite of letting local communities decide.

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John Redwood@johnredwoodAug 26

The UK today will increase its sky high electricity prices, already more than 4 times the cost of gas energy. Why does the government want to undermine our businesses with some of the dearest electricity in the world?

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About John Redwood

John Redwood won a free place at Kent College, Canterbury, and graduated from Magdalen College Oxford. He is a Distinguished fellow of All Souls, Oxford.

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