It should not be, despite what Larry Elliott says, a case of “buying off” striking workers, but of the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, using the budget to end the crisis in the funding of public services (Jeremy Hunt’s 2023 budget: five things to look out for, 6 March).
A sensible government would borrow and increase taxes on the rich and high earners to do this, but instead we will doubtless see nothing of the sort. We will, however, see some token gestures typical of these self-proclaimed One Nation Tories. Unwilling, just like the founder of the theory of One Nation conservatism, to make fundamental changes to reduce poverty, Hunt and Rishi Sunak will make ineffective window-dressing changes of the sort that Benjamin Disraeli introduced to try to trick voters.
Almost certainly, especially as the government is failing to “make good on Britain’s net zero pledges to the world”, green policies will figure strongly in Hunt’s speech (Editorial, 6 March). We can expect something like the previous inflated pledge on installing 600,000 heat pumps annually, attempting to look serious and concerned, but without financial commitment.
Let us hope that the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves, will be ready to expose One Nation Toryism for the sham that it is and to tell the country how Labour’s green policies will be funded.
Bernie Evans
Perth, Australia
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