It has been a week since David Cameron pulled the opposite of a vanishing trick, and still the new Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton has Westminster discombobulated.
Even Jeremy Hunt, usually one of the Conservatives’ safest pair of hands, has some adjusting to do to the new reality, as he showed on BBC1’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
With his Autumn Statement due on Wednesday, it was the Chancellor’s job to tour the Sunday politics shows and say nothing. Rachel Reeves did the same for an incoming Labour government.
Hunt started well, batting back Kuenssberg reminding him that 2.2 million more people were paying basic rate tax under this government, and 1.61 million more higher rate tax.
The Chancellor also had a sufficiently ambiguous line on tax cuts - he was not going to do anything that would increase inflation, but his priority was growth. And he managed to rattle people on benefits by telling them if they could work they must work, or see their income cut.
READ MORE Ministers to delay plan for heat pumps to replace boilers
Not a bad morning’s work, until the interview turned to Rwanda and the shredding of the government’s asylum policy. It was a mess, said Kuenssberg, inviting him to agree.
“It’s not easy but we are prepared to do what it takes to make sure that happens,” said Hunt, predicting that planes would be flying to Rwanda in the Spring.
“We will change the law as necessary, we’re going to do a new international treaty with Rwanda. This isn’t easy stuff but we are going to solve the problems that people are most frustrated about.
“It’s going to take persistence, it’s going to take determination. With Rishi Sunak we have the most persistent, the most determined Prime Minister I have ever worked with.”
It took a nanosecond for Kuenssberg to pounce. More determined than David Cameron, the other Prime Minister he had worked with (not to mention Theresa May)?
It was either hot under those studio lights or Hunt was blushing. “All prime ministers have their qualities …”
“Hang on,” said Kuenssberg. “You just said Rishi Sunak was more determined than David Cameron.”
The Chancellor had one more try.
“I enjoyed working with David Cameron very much. When it comes to solving fearsomely complex problems I have never worked with anyone as phenomenal as Rishi.”
READ MORE Sarwar pressed on Labour MSPs and ceasefire vote
He might have continued digging that hole for a while yet, but time was passing.
The cabinet’s new old boy had earlier been the talk of the panel on Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. Craig Oliver, formerly Cameron’s director of communications, said his old boss would play the part of consigliere to Sunak. That conjured images of “Call me Dave” as Robert Duval to Sunak’s Brando - a picture almost as disconcerting as seeing Cameron enter No 10 again.
Alastair Campbell, himself no stranger to the consigliere business, thought the Cameron comeback was already unravelling because he reminded voters of austerity and Brexit. “Not as awful as Johnson or Truss,” was the podcaster’s verdict.
On BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show, host Martin Geissler was getting his breath back after tumultuous week number 739 in politics. “What a week that was,” he said. With a bit of work that could be the programme’s new title. “Bonkers”, another of his descriptions for the week, has a certain ring to it as well.
The story of the week was the Health Secretary and his bonkers iPad bill. There followed the familiar announcement that Michael Matheson and his boss, Humza Yousaf,the First Minister, had been invited on to the show but declined. As had Shona Robison, deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance. She had agreed to appear, it being a big week ahead for the economy, but on Saturday she pulled out.
The Sunday Show is well-used to politicians saying no to interviews when the heat is on. They appear to have developed a strategy to deal with this. Minister a no-show? Then invite his or her opposite number, give them a couple of free swings at the missing Minister, then turn the tables and ask them the sort of questions they are usually not keen on answering.
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It is a smart move and the politicians will eventually get wise to it, but for now it is working a treat. Both Douglas Ross and Anas Sarwar looked at times as though the would rather be having a nice breakfast somewhere instead of being sauteed live on television. As with Jeremy Hunt, it is not often you see the Scottish Labour leader so under pressure in an interview.
Testing times indeed.
New boss? Better than the old one, says blushing Chancellor in BBC exchange
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19.11.2023
It has been a week since David Cameron pulled the opposite of a vanishing trick, and still the new Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton has Westminster discombobulated.
Even Jeremy Hunt, usually one of the Conservatives’ safest pair of hands, has some adjusting to do to the new reality, as he showed on BBC1’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg.
With his Autumn Statement due on Wednesday, it was the Chancellor’s job to tour the Sunday politics shows and say nothing. Rachel Reeves did the same for an incoming Labour government.
Hunt started well, batting back Kuenssberg reminding him that 2.2 million more people were paying basic rate tax under this government, and 1.61 million more higher rate tax.
The Chancellor also had a sufficiently ambiguous line on tax cuts - he was not going to do anything that would increase inflation, but his priority was growth. And he managed to rattle people on benefits by telling them if they could work they must work, or see their income cut.
READ MORE Ministers to delay plan for heat pumps to replace boilers
Not a bad morning’s work, until the interview turned to Rwanda and the shredding of the government’s asylum........
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