How did they get away with it? George Osborne’s evidence to the Covid-19 inquiry this week was a useful reminder of how cleverly he persuaded voters that his state-shrinking austerity was not an ideology but an economic necessity, “essential to rebuild fiscal space to provide scope to respond to future economic shocks”.
To charges from the inquiry’s inquisitor that he pulled down the roof on “depleted health and social care capacity, and rising inequality”, Osborne replied: “Most certainly not. I completely reject that”. He even claimed he tried to “ring-fence” the NHS, despite cutting its funding per capita.
