It does look increasingly likely that someone inside the Treasury is trying to sabotage Labour's work.
We have seen documents incorrectly posted to the net.
It is obvious that significant information about the PBR was leaked, and it does not seem by the government.
But think back a little further. How was it that George Osborne knew so much about the Labour Party's plan for inheritance tax in October 2007? And how come he knew so much about its plan to change the domicile rule? Was he really so clever at the Tory party conference in 2007? Or was he just acting on a leak?
Maybe everything Labour said back then was right: they really were planning changes to the domicile rule, in a way remarkably similar to that George Osborne announced. My allegation is simple: he could do that precisely because he used their logic.
I think that possible.
If so I think it reprehensible.
I spend a lot of time in meetings with politicians, government officials and others. Most often there is no reference made to these meetings on this blog, or anywhere else. They are undertaken on the basis of a relationship of trust; trust that the information that is shared cannot pass into the public domain at that time if effective decision-making is to take place.
If as I suspect the Tories are breaching that relationship of trust they prove themselves unfit for government. Osborne has already proven his poor judgement. Is this just another example of his inability to make sound choices?
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Richard,
Politicians breaking trust, leaking documents, and trying to get over on the other guy ………. Shock, horror. Alert the media.
“How was it that George Osborne knew so much about the Labour Party’s plan for inheritance tax in October 2007?”
You must be the only one who saw it that way, Richard. I thought the consensus was that Labour copied the Tory proposal in desperation amid complete fear of the proposal’s popularity. Ditto with the non-dom rule. I suspect you have absolutely no evidence whatsoever to back up your assertion that the Tories are breaking the “relationship of trust”.
Besides, this Labour government have a history of leaks. Why would the Tories want to trail a cut in the rate of VAT which surfaced on Saturday night? And why the increase in the top rate of tax to 45%? More likely, Labour wanted to get out the message of “soak the rich” whilst cleverly disguising the fact that everyone, not just the rich, is going to have to pay for this borrowing binge.
[…] wrote yesterday about George Osborne and my suspicion that he was receiving leaked documentation. I did so before knowing of the arrest of Damian […]
[…] wrote yesterday about George Osborne and my suspicion that he was receiving leaked documentation. I did so before knowing of the arrest of Damian […]
[…] wrote yesterday about George Osborne and my suspicion that he was receiving leaked documentation. I did so before knowing of the arrest of Damian […]