David Cameron
Cameron’s election speechwriter slams immigration cap
There's a punchy Evening Standard column from Ian Birrell today challenging the government's immigration cap as "the sort of gesture politics that makes some sense in opposition but turns out to be nonsense in government". The author might claim to know something about the pressure to make such political gestures, having been David Cameron's speechwriter during the 2010 election campaign.
Conjuring Cameron’s cap trick
David Cameron has pulled the wool over the media's eyes with his housing benefit cap. The real danger comes from the rest of the £2bn package.
Tories didn’t table a single amendment to significantly cut EU budget
Labour MEPs voted against the overall call for a budget increase and against a host of outrageous calls to increase spending. But it gets far more interesting than that. For all their bluster Conservative MEPs failed to table a single amendment to the final budget package that would have resulted in a reduction in spending against 2010 levels. It was left to Labour members to propose cuts of more than €1bn to wasteful agricultural subsidies.
Cameron’s housing benefit confusion
In response to Liberal Democrat MP Bob Russell at the end of Prime Minister's Questions today, David Cameron confirmed that the "key change" in housing benefit was "a cap of £20,000", a measure which, according to the June budget, will save only £65 million by 2014/15 - the least effective revenue raising measure the government has announced.
Cameron’s cashless industrial policy
David Cameron appeared to use his CBI speech to launch a state-financed industrial policy. But the money is not there to back it up.
Look Left – 33 and easy, a new nation emerges blinking into the night
A look back at the week's news: The Chile miners rescue, the Browne Review into university funding, Ed Miliband's first PMQs and more.