The government are using the time when they are most powerful to ruffle quite a few feathers.
Junior doctors and house builders are whooping with delight, but other health workers, millions of pensioners, and green belt warriors are less impressed with the Chancellor’s “mini fiscal event” this week.
Reeves predecessor Jeremy Hunt, normally a mild man, is angry at Rachel’s protestations that when she opened the Treasury books, she had to call for the smelling salts, such was her horror at what she found. As always, the truth is probably in the middle. The outgoing government took a few liberties and the new lot want some room for tax increases in the autumn.
The new Chancellor has made choices. The public sector settlement, particularly for junior doctors, is generous. The references to averting strike action will only revive that old trope that Labour is in hock to union barons. They may find however that appeasing the junior doctors might provoke a reaction from GPs and other health workers, not so generously treated.
There is an argument that the old were too favoured by the Tories. Reeves seems to have accepted this with the cut in winter fuel payments and abolishing the cap on care costs.
The grand battle will be over planning. How inexperienced Labour MPs representing places like Ribble Valley and Aldershot will react to ferocious middle England Green Belt warriors will be interesting.
THE OTHER FACE OF FARAGE
On the far right of politics there has always been the dynamic where the thugs do the violence, whilst others try to give the nation a nudge in their direction by nods and winks from their cosy living rooms.
Such a person is Reform leader Nigel Farage. In the immediate aftermath of the dreadful events in Southport the community came together in sadness and support.
Not far behind though were the despicable English Defence League bringing fear and distress to a traumatised community with attacks on the police and a mosque. And then there was Farage with his hints that the police were not telling us the full truth. What he is implying is that the “establishment” are covering up an Islamic revolution, but he just wants to hint at it while the boys from the English Defence League put a bit of stick about.
Farage wants the image of the English gent you can have a pint with who leads a respectable party that many in the Tory Party should do business with. The fact is he is as dangerous as his buddy Donald Trump.
TORY LEADERSHIP
No time for the six Tory leadership candidates to enjoy the heatwave. The six contenders will spend August trying to convince MPs and activists that they should be the person to carry the party through the bleak years of opposition with no guarantee they will actually lead the party to victory.
I would go for Mel Stride or James Cleverley. Plain speaking centrist members of the party. I can’t see the attraction in Tugendhat, the other One Nation Tory in the race. Robert Jenrick is too focused on immigration, and Patel has bullying baggage.
This brings us to Kemi Badenoch who unaccountably is the favourite. Do the party really want someone with an arrogant demeanour whose main attribute is to pick fights?
While they fight it out, I’m taking a blog break but hope you’ll still listen to the Downtown podcast with Frank and Jo Phillips during August.
