Jeremy Hunt will deliver a grim economic package of higher taxes and lower public spending tomorrow.
The Chancellor will try to blame the state of our finances on Covid and the war in Ukraine.
But while they have contributed to the downturn, the main reason the country is heading for a recession is the disastrous policies pursued by the Tories.
They crashed the economy and are now expecting the rest of us to pick up the bill, in the form of tax hikes and public spending cuts.
The bitter medicine dispensed by Mr Hunt will mean more people unable to access decent healthcare and education.
It will mean further cuts to social safety nets and less investment in jobs, research and infrastructure.
The Chancellor claims his measures will be fair and compassionate. But a compassionate Government would not slam on the spending brakes when schools are crumbling, waiting lists are at a record level and people are dying because of poor housing.
The austerity inflicted by George Osborne in the 2010s was a disaster for this country.
Mr Hunt should not repeat his mistake.
Housing shock
The death of Awaab Ishak, of mould exposure aged just two, shone a light on the terrible state of Britain’s housing stock.
There are hundreds of thousands of tenants living in substandard buildings. Too often their complaints go unheard and unanswered.
They are the victims of shoddy landlords, Government cuts and a failure to build enough affordable homes. The Government is promising action through its Social Housing Regulation Bill and, while this is welcome, it should have been enacted years ago.
It should not have taken the death of a toddler for authorities to act.
Don’t spill any
Football supporters at the fans’ village in Qatar will be paying £12 for a beer.
Let’s hope our teams do well, as none of them can afford to drown their sorrows.
