There are two Jeremy Hunts. There’s the cautious, prudent Chancellor Hunt who said tax cuts were impossible until inflation is beaten.
And then there’s the Hunt we saw at Wednesday’s Autumn Statement who threw caution to the wind for some election bribes. He claimed he had found the fiscal headroom to slash National Insurance and a smorgasbord of business taxes to whet the appetites of hard-right MPs.
The truth is Tory economic mismanagement has left the ceiling so low it is pressing on Mr Hunt’s shoulders – and millions will face either higher taxes or devastating spending cuts if it is not to collapse. That will hit those on low incomes, who are also most reliant on public services.
The Chancellor was forced to admit that inflation will not fall to the Bank of England’s 2% target until 2025, the level at which lower taxes might become feasible. Now, analysis of the small print reveals his upgraded inflation forecast from this month to next March means the average family will pay £1,400 more in higher prices.
Even Rishi Sunak concedes inflation acts like a tax, and a tax on food, fuel and clothing hits the poorest hardest. For all their talk of planning for Britain’s long-term future, this demonic duo are playing fast and loose with the economy for an early dash to the polls. So maybe there are not two Jeremy Hunts after all. Just a solitary two-faced one.
Day in the strife
James Cleverly denies calling Stockton a “s***hole” in Parliament after the town’s Labour MP said a third of children there live in poverty. But today this newspaper casts serious doubt on the Home Secretary’s assertion.
We used similar technology employed to separate John Lennon’s voice from a noisy cassette so that surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr could create one last song by the band. And the result suggests Mr Cleverly DID grossly insult the County Durham town.
He can continue to Twist and Shout – or fess up to his foul mouth, apologise for being so offensive and vow to curb his tongue in future. As penance, Mr Cleverly should take a Ticket to Ride north to find out why people feel betrayed by broken Tory levelling-up promises. And the Prime Minister must warn him that if he does not mend his ways, he will soon become a Nowhere Man.
Far too merry
A survey shows six in 10 Gen Z workers plan to take a sick day after office Christmas parties to nurse their hangovers. Bosses are unlikely to be fooled. They’ll soon clock their young staff are suffering from nothing more serious than a bout of tinselitis.