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[/audioplayer]Confidence is coursing through Downing Street at the moment. The economy is growing at a good clip and senior Tories feel more optimistic than ever about the result of the next general election. With this belief in retaining office comes more thought about what a second-term Cameron government would have to do. Minds are also turning to the question of how the top team should be reshaped after the general election.
Politically, one issue towers above all others: Europe. Within 18 months of being re-elected, the government will have to renegotiate the terms of Britain’s EU membership and put them to a referendum. This timetable means that the European question would dominate the start of any secondCameron term.
I understand that George Osborne is lining himself up to take on this challenge, to become Foreign Secretary.
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