The big news in the UK last week surrounded preparations of Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget due on Wednesday. He can’t keep as much of it secret as perhaps he had hoped because he has to share it with his coalition colleagues, The Lib Dems.
The one glaring point expected to arise in the Budget is Osborne’s cut to the 50p tax (the top rate of tax paid by those earning over £150,000).
Even the majority of Conservative voters disagree with George Osborne’s plan to cut the top rate of tax, according to Vincent Moss who says it is opposed by the majority of Britons.
His comments are based on a Sunday Mirror/ComRes poll published yesterday. It shows that well over half of voters (58%) believe the Chancellor should NOT abolish the 50p tax rate on incomes over £150,000.
Even the majority of Conservative voters (51%) disagree with Mr Osborne’s plan to cut the top rate.
And there is some news for the Labour party, for the poll shows Labour moving ahead of the Tories as tensions over the Budget mount. The Conservatives are stuck on 37%, while Labour surge ahead to 40%, with the Lib Dems on 10%.This would give Labour a majority of 30 seats with the Tories losing 60. The Lib Dems would be reduced from 57 to just 10 seats.
You can read the full story here.
‘Women will need more than a spread in Grazia magazine to vote Tory’, was Jackie Ashley’s article in the Observer yesterday.
She argued the budgets effect on gender deserved closer scrutiny, well closer than perhaps women’s magazine Grazia was going to cover it.
On his trip to the States last week Cameron had his normal team of journalists accompanying him on his trip, and according the Ashley, an unlikely reporter appeared from Grazia and she received special access.
The magazine will undoubtedly report on Sam Cam’s outfits, but as Ashley points out it shows quite how worried Cameron is about the female vote.
And so he should be. Public sector cuts hit women hardest, cuts to family services and public sector pay freezes disproportionately hit women.
It remains to be seen whether Grazia can win the female vote over, although I’m sure that Wednesday’s Budget will help form our opinions.
You can read Jackie Ashley’s article in full, here.
Finally I’d like to say how very sad I was to learn of the terrible coach accident in Switzerland in which 22 children from a Belgian school and six adults died. My thoughts are with their families.
