The first group of savings are about making the state more efficient, the second about creating a state focused on the core tasks of government.
We don’t expect the shutdown to last in full until summer. But if it did, Britain might well be moving towards Universal Credit as a basic income.
That’s a legitimate political agenda, and people are quite welcome to vote for it. But they deserve to know what’s coming.
For me, the most concerning thing wasn’t being behind among the very young, but being behind among everyone under age 47.
By extending the ladder of opportunity to those who currently lack it, e can ensure the next generation climbs it.
If you appoint Duncan Smith to the post she now holds, as Cameron did in 2010, it follows that you must fund his plan fully.
The Chancellor has been fortunate that the public finances have improved substantially at a particularly convenient time.
The debate has come to symbolise much of what differentiates us from the Left: robust policy based on evidence that supports free markets, versus dogma based on statism.
It needs investment, but is a vast improvement on the system it replaces. The MPs who want a delay are misguided.
The Chancellor has not always been well treated by his neighbour, and deserves support over public spending. But he has mishandled his internal position over Brexit.
Behind the ‘jobs miracle’ lies a system, built on tax credits, which subsidises low pay and encourages businesses to over-hire at the expense of investment.
A lot on Brexit; not much elsewhere. The lack of a majority leaves the Prime Minister exposed – whatever may happen with the DUP.
A new study shows that paying a living wage is good for employees, and that it’s proving to make good business sense too.
And May’s reputation for straightforwardness risks damage from the Budget’s proposals for NICs.
Labour would abolish Universal Credit, which has coped well with the unprecedented pressures of this unprecedented last year.