What is Sir Jeremy Heywood up to? Last week he jointly wrote an article praising Margaret Thatcher which led to a Labour MP accusing him of having ‘prostituted his high office’. This week he’s revealed to be discussing the behind-the-scenes wranglings in the Cabinet on economic policy.
The Times’ Sam Coates reports this morning that the Cabinet Secretary revealed to a private meeting of bankers that there were four different positions on growth in the Cabinet. Coates reports that Heywood said David Cameron was focused on exports, free trade and micro and small businesses, Nick Clegg is more interested in regional growth and city-led schemes, Vince Cable is annoyed with the banks and worried about the availability of credit, and George Osborne is concerned with infrastructure investment, long-term finance and overseas business.
None of these positions would come as much of a surprise to anyone who follows the speeches and announcements made by these four men, but The Times’ report suggests that Heywood implied ‘his job was being made harder by the differing priorities of senior government figures’.
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