Guido notes the Treasury team has been filled with aspirational tax cutters after Rishi’s Blue Wall recalibration. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is a key role when it comes to spending, so it is good to see Laura Trott co-authored a report in 2021 arguing for “Accelerator Zones” across the UK which would, among other things, feature zero capital gains tax on investment. The report’s second author was Bim Afolami, who has just been appointed Economic Secretary to the Treasury. Afolami appeared at an Adam Smith Institute TNG event last month to argue for a youth-focused low-tax Tory shift. Low-tax Cameronites…
Meanwhile the new Financial Secretary to the Treasury Nigel Huddleston has defended high earning taxpayers in 2016 by pointing out “top 1% pay 28% of all income tax and top 3,000 pay as much as lowest 9 million”. Huddleston was fiery in his defence of corporation tax cuts in 2018, saying: “I repeat, tax revenue matters more than tax rates. Populist calls for massive tax hikes will result in less money for the NHS and public services, not more“. Guido looks forward to seeing their strong low-tax leanings reflected in the Autumn Budget now inflation has halved…
Four Members of Parliament expensed the taxpayer for a collective £720 to cover their own driving fines. The Independent yesterday reported that Energy Minister Amanda Solloway, Simon Hoare, Bim Afolami and SNP MP Dave Doogan all claimed tickets on expenses. Sollaway’s bill came to £80 while both Doogan and Folami expensed £160. Simon Hoare was the worst offender, with his four bills costing a total of £320…
Obviously, MPs shouldn’t be able to claim expenses for their speeding fines – as IPSA spelt out against Suella Braverman’s best wishes. In response to the story, IPSA admitted they had made a mistake, and said they would reiterate the rules to the MPs. Once again, the expenses watchdog is giving our elected officials a free ride…
UPDATE: A Tory source has been in touch to say Amanda Solloway and Bim Afolami’s fines were related to the congestion charge, rather than speeding.
UPDATE II: Simon Hoare’s expenses were also related to the congestion charge.
Always a conference highlight, iNHouse Communications’ Toryoke did not fail to disappoint last night – with journos, SpAds, and MPs busting moves and straining their vocal cords. The very merry crowd presumably included some former Bullingdon Club members with the amount of smashed glass about. That or some of the singing was more atrocious than Guido can recall..
The assembled crowd were treated to Sky’s Beth Rigby throwing some serious shapes alongside the BBC’s Vicki Young in an impassioned performance of Katy Perry’s Roar. Watch it here…
Bim Afolami showcased his singing talent alongside the Sunday Times‘ Caroline Wheeler with an heartfelt rendition of Time After Time:
Also unforgettable was the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar leading a cheeky but amazing performance of Things Can Only Get Better. Sadly Guido was too busy singing along to film it…
For months Tory MP Bim Afolami has been a vocal critic of Govia Thameslink which (nominally) provides rail services to his commuter-heavy constituency of Hitchin and Harpenden. Exasperated on June 4th he wrote to Transport Secretary Chris Grayling “demanding answers”. Three weeks ago on August 29th he wrote to Grayling again, demanding a rail fare freeze “until Govia Thameslink and Great Northern services are up to scratch.” In short he was becoming a pain in the arse being an active constituency MP looking out for his voters.
Two days after his last epistle to the Transport Secretary, it was announced that he had been appointed new PPS to… Chris Grayling. He hasn’t mentioned the rail companies since, and so far hasn’t brought it up publicly with his patron again. Will Bim keep the pressure up or go soft on the rail companies to spare his new boss’s blushes?
