The Tories’ only hope is tax cuts

In the old days, when the Conservatives were chalking up opinion poll ratings in the forties, their strategists knew they needed robust offers on four key subjects in order to secure their electoral base. These were Europe, law and order, immigration and taxation. Brexit has largely removed the need for the first, on the second the Tories are not taken seriously – having just scrapped short jail terms and presided over a collapse in everyday policing – while the least said about their catastrophic record on the third the better.

This just leaves tax cuts. Having presided over record taxation, it will be difficult to sell the idea that the party is zealous about allowing people to keep more of their own money. But the electorate is aware that fighting Covid cost a fortune and also carries a retained suspicion of the Labour party on tax matters.

So here we go then.