Tag Archives: george osborne

George Osborne attempting to look cool while listening to a rock band

7:50pm Thu May 17th

A favourite YouTube clip in the Scrapbook office is from Armando Ianucci’s Time Trumpet, in which a shallow David Cameron was filmed moving a charity wristband so it was clearly visible to the media – before quickly glancing to check that a camera crew would capture it.

But in his recent appearance on the Andrew Marr Show, George Osborne attempts to rival his neighbour for affectation. George looked distinctly unamused by Keane’s performance at the end of the programme. With another sly glance at the camera, however, he realises the nation is watching him and starts to bob his head.

He’ll be claiming he likes Arctic Monkeys next.

Nadine Dorries accidentally tweets DM accusing Osborne of “bullying”

10:18am Mon May 14th

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Tory insurgent Nadine Dorries has accused George Osborne of orchestrating a “bullying operation” against her. In a twitter message apparently intended as a DM and quickly deleted, the Bedfordshire MP references an incident in which a backbencher was seen leaving the Chancellor’s office – shortly before a number of colleagues viciously attacked her in a party meeting.

Hours after leaving Osborne’s office, Kris Hopkins led the attacks on Dorries in the backbench 1922 Committee, in which she faced cries of “treason”, “shameful” and “disgusting” — with one MP even saying she ”should be shot” for her disloyalty.

Directing her followers to the source in a Sunday newspaper, however, perhaps this was more “accidental” than accidental.

It’s a double dip: ONS statistics show Britain has re-entered recession

9:31am Wed April 25th

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The growth figures for the last quarter have been announced, and with a contraction of 0.2% the UK has two consecutive quarters of negative growth and is officially back in recession.

This is the recession that George Osborne repeatedly assured us wouldn’t happen, despite OECD predictions that it would as recently as last month. But the new developments will heap still more pressure on a chancellor reeling from the catastrophe of his last budget. The decision to cut tax for millionaires looks even more unsound now.

With the failure of plan A, is it not perhaps time for plan B George?

Is Nadine Dorries at war with her own party over boundary changes?

4:14pm Mon April 23rd

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Scrapbook concurs with Nadine Dorries’ description of Cameron and Osborne as “two arrogant posh boys” (video below). But with her seat of Mid Bedfordshire being vanished into thin air by the Boundary Commission, could aloofness to her own plight — rather than that of the hard-pressed families — be the driving force behind Nads’ outburst?

There is a view within Tory high command that the upcoming boundary changes prevent a valuable opportunity for gaffe-prone Dorries to spend more time with her healthcare fortune. Indeed, one Tory campaign strategist has been heard to utter:

“There are some interesting seats disappearing. Put it this way: no one is shedding any tears over Mid Bedfordshire.”

Nadine has been on the warpath over these changes for some months, telling the Boundary Commission in November that “These new proposals rip Mid Bedfordshire asunder.”

So has Nadine had a latent realisation that Dave and George are out of touch … or is she furious at being hung out to dry?

Is Osborne using tax avoidance as an excuse to target charities?

5:34pm Tue April 10th

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The coalition are keen to be seen as clamping down on irresponsible tax avoiders, but George Osborne seems to be going after charities instead. The government have cited tax evasion as a reason for reducing tax reliefs in the budget – a move which hits charities reliant on large donations.

Despite offering reassurances that they would explore ways to avoid impacting charities, the government are yet to bring proposals forward. Over to Plan B: smear the charity sector! A Number 10 spokesperson said:

“In certain instances they may be giving to charities and those charities don’t, in all cases, do a great deal of charitable work.”

Whilst the government argues that the wealthy are taking advantage of charity tax exemptions to avoid paying income tax, HMRC seem unable or unwilling to provide estimates on the extent to which individuals are cheating the system.

The process for tax-exempt charitable giving is separate to that required to register as a charity — and obligates organisations to provide evidence of their activities.

A charity must first apply for a charity reference number from HMRC
They must give details on its to work to ensure their operations are charitable
The applicant must undergo a “fit and proper person” test

If Number 10 believes certain bodies are not performing good works, why not simply revoke their eligibility for tax-exempt giving with HMRC?

Or is George using tax avoidance as an excuse to take money from charities?

More: HMRC statement leads to more questions »

It’s a double dip: OECD forecasters say Britain is in recession

10:47am Thu March 29th

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The leading international economics body OECD says Britain is in recession. Their forecaster expects Britain’s economy to show negative growth of 0.1% in the first quarter of 2012. This comes after an 0.3% contraction in the final quarter of 2011.

Two consecutive quarters of negative growth is the technical threshold for a recession. The news comes after Osborne told Parliament that growth forecasts had been raised:

“The OBR expect the British economy “to avoid a technical recession with positive growth in the first quarter” of this year.”

The double dip is here.

Boris Johnson avoids pasty VAT tax on London Mayor campaign trail

11:32am Wed March 28th

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Scenes of embarrassment yesterday, as it was revealed that the Chancellor’s flagship pasty tax could be dodged if hungry customers bought cold pasties, George Osborne found himself in for a mocking at the Treasury Select Committee. Labour’s John “What’s the point of Nick Clegg?” Mann asked Gideon when the last time he’d frequented a branch of Greggs was. The Chancellor was, sadly, unable to answer.

Meanwhile, mayoral candidate and Osborne’s potential rival for the future Tory leadership, Boris Johnson’s campaign trail took him to a bakery. The Mayor, however, ignored calls to buy a tax-free pasty, purchasing a loaf of bread instead.

Note to lawyers: we are accusing him of pasty avoidance, not pasty evasion.

The original Granny Tax? Local Tory steals £130,000 from pensioners

3:48pm Mon March 26th

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George Osborne isn’t the only top Tory pinching from pensioners. Owen Danter, a former local Tory deputy chairman, stole over £130,000 from people in their eighties and nineties to fund a “champagne lifestyle”.

Danter, pictured above in a crimson cravat/trousers combo, nabbed the cash in 27 instalments whilst working at a branch of Santander. He trousered tens of thousands of pounds from five elderly women, and pinched the rest from the branch’s cash machine.

Detective Sergeant John Meagher, in charge of the police investigation, said:

“He has been living a lifestyle he couldn’t possibly cope with on his finances … He has picked on his weakest customers. He has been living the high life and spending the money on expensive drinks such as champagne.”

Danter, the deputy chairman for the Beverley and Holderness Conservatives, pleaded guilty to nine accounts of theft, and will be sentenced next month.

Taking from pensioners to fund lavish lifestyles — at least Danter is consistent with Treasury policy.

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