Hang on to your hats everyone, because Burnham’s going to risk it, and go early
Giles Dilnot
Burnham will try it, because he has said he won’t. What the Budget on Wednesday absolutely won’t do is confront the major problems besetting the British economy, that’s because it’s not deigned to buy growth but buy time. The City is working on the thesis that the duller the Budget the more sign he’s going for it, early.
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Healey’s Budget was utterly unremarkable
Oliver Dean
And yet, if yesterday’s dealings were anything to go by, it appears as though that promise has been broken. Because what we saw yesterday was not a break from the past, but merely a continuation of it. The Tories have been criticised for labelling Andy Burnham as ‘Keir Starmer 2.0’, but maybe they were right after all.
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Those Brits who supported Trump and Ukraine must now see the former was their mistake
David Gauke
Some have argued that Trump is a natural strongman, and that even if he is not sympathetic to Ukraine, Russia would be more cautious with someone as unpredictable as Trump. I think we can now see that argument as being, at best, flimsy.
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The Budgetary significance of ‘persnuffle’ and ‘PuFins’ should not be overlooked
David Willetts
We may hear serious budget commentators sounding like David Attenborough as they observe that Persnuffle has enabled the Chancellor to put more into his Puffins. This is not actually an absurd financial device – it is plugging the gap left by Brexit.
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ITV’s exposé of Reform UK rings true of our experience in Epping Forest
Holly Whitbread
Political debate should be robust, and those in power must be held to account. But legitimate concerns must never be exploited to divide communities.
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The door is ajar in the Red Wall – we can open it further
Neville Lishman
Let’s treat everyone we speak to as someone who was once most likely with us in 2019, who shares similar values and similar aspirations. These voters are not gone, they just feel let down. The stakes at the next election have never been higher, so let’s earn their trust and together we can beat Burnham.
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Budget 2026 – Conservatives and think tanks give their reaction to Healey’s debut
ConservativeHome
Below is a collection of quotes from senior Conservatives and right-of-centre think tanks, responding to Chancellor John Healey’s Budget.
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Why are people obsessed with Badenoch’s heritage?
Conor Burns
When a politician’s ancestry is repeatedly introduced into arguments where it has little apparent relevance, it is reasonable to ask what purpose that emphasis serves.
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Under Kemi Badenoch Conservatives are fighting for aspirational working class voters
Lewis Cocking
We can only win the next election with support from the millions of hard-working, blue collar voters who turned away from us. Under Kemi’s strong leadership, and by continuing to make the case for common-sense policies that have real people at their heart, I have no doubt that we can earn their trust back.
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Badenoch deserves some credit for her Budget response
Matthew Bowles
Healey’s rather dry, monotone presentation meant that even a mild addition of colour in Badenoch’s response would draw positive attention. No doubt it jerked those on both sides out of a slumber. The Chancellor’s reference to Liz Truss’s new book felt like a well-worn punchline in search of a fresh target.