Tories, tax and trust – a warning from history

I was on the Question Time panel last night, and suspected that the issue of National Insurance might crop up – and that Karen Bradley, the Culture Secretary, would be sent out to defend the indefensible. Like all ministers, she has to repeat Philip Hammond’s bizarre claim that the Tories had not broken a manifesto pledge. That when they repeatedly promised not to raise National Insurance they meant only part of the National Insurance. The 2015 Tory manifesto contained no such caveat (I brought a copy along to the studio) and it’s impossible for any minister to claim otherwise. Hammond has already been accused of ‘lying’ – a strong word, but he should not be surprised if a politician makes a demonstrably untrue claim.

I wonder how many other Tory ministers will be sent into studios over the weekend, ordered to deploy this fictitious line of argument. Marr, Murnaghan, Neil, Peston, Pienaar – all will be waiting with sharpened knives for the minister foolish enough to tell their viewers that there was no manifesto pledge precluding a National Insurance rise.