After years of flirting with the idea, we’ve finally seen Labour’s plans to renationalise the energy industry. As always, far from being a panacea, this shiny, expensive policy would turn out to be a disaster.
Neo-puritanism is in danger of holding us back. Instead of wagging a finger at people enjoying themselves and doing things differently, we should celebrate the potential of our freedom and individual choices.
Get some boomerangs,’ Liz Truss says to her aides. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury isn’t looking for something to throw — she is referring to the short videos on Instagram for which she is becoming famous.
As Chief Secretary to the Treasury, my first responsibility is to the taxpayer. Every pound that comes into the Exchequer was earned by someone through hard work, and could have been used for a new car, a holiday or a treat for the children.
Liz Truss has a claim to be the most outspoken member of the cabinet. “I just took a decision a while ago that I was going to say what I like and wear what I like,” she says with a smile.
2019 is a big year for British politics. As we leave the European Union, we have an opportunity to set out a new economic agenda, leaving the era of post-crash consolidation and recovery behind and entering a new era of growth and opportunity for Britain.
"Take Back Control” was the Brexit clarion call. Politicians must heed the demand. 2019 will see us return many powers from Brussels to Westminster. But this year we should honour that command domestically, too.
On a recent trip to the USA, I took a detour to the heart of rustbelt America to see how the great cities of Cleveland and Detroit are reinventing themselves after decades of industrial decline.
When I moved to Scotland at the age of four, I was enrolled in the West Primary School in Paisley. A few years later, at the time of the 1983 general election, my teacher asked me if I wanted to play the role of Margaret Thatcher in our class equivalent.
