[Youngian]

In reality, this will probably mean Sunak gets someone like Lee Anderson to make the comments.

Indeed. Lee’s fellow East Midlands brain box Clarke-Smith has a cunning plan.

[Tubby Isaacs]

That’ll bring the aspirational under 40s back.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

That’ll bring the aspirational under 40s back.

The Express wouldn't recognise an aspirational under 40 if they pissed in the editor's coffee.

[Youngian]

Quite a journey the Tories have made from optimistic aspiration of the Thatcher years to the party of spite, envy and bitterness. See also Reagan to Trump.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Quite a journey the Tories have made from optimistic greedy aspiration of the Thatcher years back to the party of spite, envy, greed and bitterness.

FTFY

[Tubby Isaacs]

Stealing a living. And so is John Rentoul.

In which Sunak is "personable and hardworking" and the most capable Tory Prime Minister since Mrs Thatcher. As evidence by his brilliant work shielding the British people from the pandemic and world inflation.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Sunak doing everything right, today.

[Tubby Isaacs]

More "everything right" here from the PM and the supremely popular Chancellor of the Exchequer he chose.

[Youngian]

John Rentoul writes the same narrative about every Labour leader (loser) and Tory leader (formidable and underestimated). And he’s not a Tory so it’s insightful unbiased analysis.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Visiting professor too. Kings College London could do better, you might think.

[Malcolm Armsteen]

Isn't it noticeable that Ricky didn't have an opinion on Johnson and the Priv Com, or the Maleficent Seven, but he's all over the BBC story?

[Tubby Isaacs]

See also stumpings in test matches.

[Andy McDandy]

Very unlikely he's played test cricket or exchanged nudey photos with a TV presenter himself.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Deputy PM doesn't have to be a campaigning role- the last three haven't been campaigners (Green, Liddington, Raab), But the point remains- who is there? Sunak is the only one with any cross party appeal.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Rishi going with "they aren't cuts, we're repurposing spending".

This'll nail down those deserting Red Wall seats.

[Abernathy]

Sunak supposedly says that “it isn’t right to fund by rises for some workers by putting up taxes for all of us.”

Aye it fuckin is. If doctors and nurses and teachers can get a decent pay increase and we can stop the medical and teaching professions from haemorrhaging valuable experienced staff and arrest the decline of the NHS via a marginal tax increase, then I’m happy for them to take my money. I surely can’t be alone in thinking along these lines ?

[Boiler]

Sadly Abers, there's a lot who think e.g. "why should I pay for fat people to be treated for diabetes? It's self inflicted". It's a shit argument of course - from that follows "I don't use libraries so why should I pay taxes for them?" but that's how they think.

[davidjay]

Maybe I'm naive but a bit of honesty along the lines of, "You got furlough, the economy got battered, now we have to pay for it with a tax increase" might have been accepted.

[Boiler]

Maybe I'm naive but a bit of honesty along the lines of, "You got furlough, the economy got battered, now we have to pay for it with a tax increase" might have been accepted.

Won't be acceptable to the "Covid was a hoax" brigade - of which there are many. Along with those who never got furlough payments e.g. the self-employed.

[Tubby Isaacs]

More of Rishi "doing everything right". John Rentoul will be telling his students at Kings College London that this is grown up statesmanship.