Politics: After the cuts, a growth strategy – this is an electoral as well as economic plan

On Monday night, all new Conservative MPs were summoned to a meeting with the chief whip in Portcullis House.

On Monday night, all new Conservative MPs were summoned to a meeting with the chief whip in Portcullis House. The chief, a former miner who couldn’t be more different from the gilded youth of David Cameron’s A list, impressed on them the line for the week: the Conservatives do not want to be making these cuts — they are a matter of regrettable necessity. This reminder was largely unnecessary. The new MPs know the script.

It is not the whole truth, though. Talk to almost any Conservative MP and they’ll tell you that the cuts will, ultimately, be good for the economy, that they will spur higher growth. But when you ask them if they expect the government to make this case, they look at you like you have just suggested mentioning the war to some German hotel guests.