DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Now conjure up help for struggling families
Rishi Sunak performed financial wonders throughout the pandemic.
Displaying imagination, the Chancellor saved the nation from economic implosion by creating an unprecedented safety net for families and businesses.
Today, he faces a fresh catastrophe. The cost of living disaster is accelerating towards us at a terrifying rate of knots.
So when delivering the Spring Statement, he must delve into his bag of tricks again.
Of course, he wants to balance the books after vertiginous borrowing during Covid.
But food and petrol prices are skyrocketing. Magnified by the war in Ukraine, they have contributed to surging inflation and rising interest rates.
Mr Sunak insists he is ‘on the side’ of families on the financial rack. His actions must now match his words
Not since the 1970s have households faced such a painful squeeze on their budgets.
And that’s before eye-watering energy bills land on doormats and Mr Sunak raids pay packets by hiking national insurance.
Yet the Treasury is hoovering up cash. VAT revenues have hit an all-time high, as have stamp duty and inheritance tax takings.
With soaring receipts helping slash Government borrowing, the Chancellor has billions in fiscal headroom to help struggling families.
Cutting fuel duty would be a good start, so too tweaking tax thresholds. But why in Heaven’s name press ahead with the hated NI rise at all? He can – and must – spike it.
Pummelling growth, hitting real incomes and taxing jobs during economic tumult is deranged. Politically, it verges on suicidal.
Mr Sunak insists he is ‘on the side’ of families on the financial rack. His actions must now match his words.
Corrupt constabulary
Imagine a police force employing over 100 convicted criminals in uniform. Where seized cash, drugs and jewellery regularly go missing. And where senior officers shrug their shoulders at corruption.
Such a bent constabulary could only exist in some wretched Banana Republic, right? Wrong. This is Scotland Yard in 2022.
Delusionally, the Met considers itself one of the world’s finest forces. Yet a watchdog’s excoriating report exposes the lie. In reality, it is riddled with rottenness.
But with calamity commissioner Cressida Dick in charge, what else could be expected? After all, she was condemned for hampering a public inquiry into the 1987 axe slaying of private eye Daniel Morgan. A truly appalling example to set.
Such a bent constabulary could only exist in some wretched Banana Republic, right? Wrong. This is Scotland Yard in 2022.
From a serving policeman murdering Sarah Everard to toxic revelations that racism is rife in the ranks, Dame Cressida’s tenure has been profoundly ignominious.
Her priorities are grotesquely skewed. Rather than tackling Met corruption (or, indeed, crime blighting London), she instead sent detectives to investigate whether No 10 broke Covid rules by having post-work cheese and wine parties.
Of course, the majority of police officers are decent. Look at the bobbies who heroically wrestled the knifeman suspected of killing Tory MP David Amess.
But at Scotland Yard, they are let down by a force plagued with institutional problems – starting right at the top.
A moment to reflect
Lockdown threw everyone’s life into turmoil. But on the second anniversary, we inevitably reflect on our Covid dead and the pain of the bereaved.
Yet for all the suffering, the pandemic brought out the best in Britain.
The £2.3million national memorial to those we lost was only made possible by you, our wonderfully generous readers.
We thank the nurses and others who kept us safe and the country running. We applaud the scientists who invented vaccines at miraculous speed. And we celebrate being the first nation free from restrictions, letting us see loved ones and savour our liberties.
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