Osborne’s audition

On Wednesday at Noon, George Osborne will rise to respond for the government at Prime Minister’s Questions. The symbolism of this moment won’t be lost on anyone on the Tory benches. It will be the start of Osborne’s audition for the top job.

A few years ago, the idea of Osborne as Prime Minister was—as one of his backers puts it—‘a minority taste’. But now, he continues, ‘it is a mainstream assumption’.

What has changed things is the economic recovery and the Tories’ surprise election victory, which has vindicated Osborne’s political strategy. Osborne, I argue in the Mail on Sunday, has also become a better politician in recent years; more comfortable in his own skin and in public. He now has that thing all politicians crave, a big idea. His plan for a ‘northern powerhouse’ is, potentially, transformative for both the north and the Tories’ fortunes there.

When Cameron steps down, Osborne’s main rival for the premiership will be Boris Johnson.