Wee Georgie's £3 billion mistake...

Seems wee Georgie has been reading his Ladybird book of Economics again. Today's Guardian reports that his reputation as would-be Tory chancellor is unravelling after his claimed savings by making us all work longer are some £3 BILLION short, and will take five years longer than he estimated!

Doh...

Public forced to pay for Waltzing Matilda...

A council leader standing as a Conservative MP at the next election has fiercely defended one of his councillors who has claimed over £2,000 from the public purse while on an Australian walkabout for the past three months....

He's the same leader of Barnet council in north London who was hailed by wee Georgie Osborne recently for facing the "age of austerity and showing the Conservative Party how its done..."

Now we know exactly what wee Georgie meant...

He'll be telling us next that "We're all in this together..."

Same old, eh?

Lincolnshire show how the Tories would run the country...

What was David Cameron's side-kick wee Georgie Osborne thinking of when he said a future Conservative government could learn lessons from Tory councils like Lincolnshire...?

Was it Lincolnshire Tories record of running the only education authority in the country to spend millions of public money to send selected children to public school - by top-slicing the budget of every state school in the county...?

Or was it the cavalier way Lincolnshire Tories trebled home care charges for some of Lincolnshire's most vulnerable people - from £40 to an staggering £120 a week in one hike - (a saga on which I posted on HERE and HERE...?

Maybe it was the back-of-a-fag-packet scheme to close all infant schools that showed what Lincolnshire Conservatives really feel about 'choice' despite their rhetoric...?

Surely wee Georgie wasn't thinking about the way Lincolnshire Tories' forced through the biggest council tax demand for policing in the county - an eye-watering 78.9 per cent that had to be capped by the Labour Government with a welcome rebate for every council tax payer...?

Ironically, wee Georgie was talking in his speech about value for money when he highlighted Lincolnshire as a flagship to follow...

Wonder if he realises that Lincolnshire Tories insisted on hiking up council tax bills this year - voting down Labour's sensible plan for a council tax freeze...(despite his promise that Conservatives would deliver a freeze on council tax).

No, wee-Georgie was talking about Lincolnshire's record on public-private partnerships. While I believe private firms might sometimes deliver a better job than local councils, in eight years as a county councillor in Lincolnshire, I was far from impressed with the way county services were run by private companies.

I believe the system wee Georgie was so impressed with was brought in by former Tory Leader of the county council, Jim Speechley...

Wee Georgie will remember Jim well...Speechley of course was sent to jail for corruption.

So now we know how the Tories would run the country if we were ever daft enough to give them a chance...

Same old Tories, or what...?

Blow for Tory 'flagship' accused of racism and sexual discrimination...

So George Osborne thinks the Tories should learn lessons on how to run the country from Conservative-run local councils...

In his speech today, wee Georgie cites Tory Wandsworth in London as a flagship authority whose example should be followed.

Just 24-hours earlier, a leading councillor in Wandsworth tore up her Conservative membership card, quit the party and accused the Conservative Council Leader, his deputy and others of

"years of (sexual) discrimination, racism and belittling"

Same old Tories, eh?

Would-be Chancellor and 'value-for-money': you couldn't make it up...

The resignation of a Treasury Minister after revelations about tax and parliamentary expenses surely piles more pressure on would-be Chancellor Georgie Osborne to do the decent thing.

He stands accused of avoiding paying £55,000 in capital gains tax.

This afternoon, Tory Leader David Cameron agreed to pay back almost £1,000 he has admitted wrongly claiming - that's on top of the hundreds of pounds he had to pay back a couple of weeks ago.

(UPDATE: Thanks to Matt for pointing out that the total the two re-payments Cameron is making add up to almost £1,000. sorry, my mishtake).

Wee Georgie is refusing to budge despite growing pressure. He claims, as the departed Minister did, that he has done nothing wrong.

But the overall prize for the most ironic of parliamentary claim of all surely goes to the aforementioned Mr Osborne...

It emerged this afternoon that the MP for Tatton actually claimed £40 from the public purse for two DVDs of himself talking about, er, 'value for taxpayers money'.

You couldn't make it up.

BREAKING NEWS: Wee Georgie Osborne's mortgage and expenses...

Wee Georgie Osborne is the latest MP to face questions over his claims for parliamentary expenses.

It seems Cameron's sidekick took out a mortgage for more than he actually paid for his house - and then billed the taxpayer!.

The would-be Chancellor is also having to explain why he paid no Capital Gains Tax on the £700,000 profit he made on the sale of his London property - a house which he had designated to the Fees Office as his second home but designated to the tax authorities as his main home.

He is arguing that the expenses he claimed on his London property were actually intended for his Cheshire home - and that the Fees Office had agreed to this arrangement

In fact, the record shows that wee Georgie billed the taxpayer for a mortgage on the Cheshire
home worth more than he had actually paid for the house in cash two years before!

And - in the two years between buying his house for cash and taking out a new mortgage - George Osborne billed the taxpayer for £36,067 which he now says went to pay for that property.

Under this arangement, the taxpayer will eventually end up paying George Osborne £4,995 more than he paid for the house and £36,067 in expenses before he even had a mortgage.

I'm sure it's all within the rules...!

The wonderful Dennis Skinner hits his target...

Wee Georgie Osborne looked like the naughty boy caught stealing the dinner money as he squirmed throughout today's Prime Minister's Questions.

David Cameron's hapless sidekick faces serious issues over his lack of judgement in talking on a Russian oligarch's yacht in Corfu about potentially illegal donations to the Tory Party.

David Cameron's reference to 'dodgy accountants' brought the House down, as MPs made the unspoken link to 'Corfugate'. But despite the big questions about Mr Osborne's fitness to run the economy (or rather lack of it) splashed all over today's front pages, 'Corfugate' appeared to be the elephant in the room and was not raised for the first 29 and a half minutes of Prime Minister's Questions.

Just when Cameron and wee Georgie thought they had survived the session, the wonderful Dennis Skinner was called by Mr Speaker to ask the final question:

The former Derbyshire miner and so-called 'Beast of Bolsover' - seen here with yours truly on the campaign trail a couple of years ago - rose. And in his unique passionate style, order paper waving in hand, eyes focused sharply on Mr Osborne, Dennis asked:

"Will the Prime Minister promise that whatever he has to do to solve the nation's finances, he will never ever resort to boarding the luxury yacht of a Russian oligarch to ask for money...?"

House erupts. Even bigger squirms from Georgie...and this time the man sitting next to him - Tory Leader David Cameron who has publicly backed the boy Georgie over the Russian oligarch affair.

Gordon Brown replied: "This is a serious issue and I trust it will be properly investigated by the authorities..."

Quality Dennis. Top Quality.

Tory Spin and the Small Print: Spot the Difference...

Wee Georgie Osborne showed once again why he can't be trusted to run the economy in his speech at the Tory Party Conference today. With no answers on the world banking crisis, he went for a headline grabbing announcement .

These were his exact words now running across the airwaves:

I can tell you today that the next Conservative Government will freeze your Council Tax for at least two years.

A good splash for tomorrow's Daily Mail. But the boy Osborne - and the media who took the spoon fed headline entirely at face value - failed to mention the small print of the Tory Press Notice released at the same time. Titled 'A Two Year Council Tax Freeze' it reveals the following:

Each council will be completely free to accept or reject the contract. Councils that reject the contract will be free to set their own council tax levels.

So not exactly a freeze at all then Georgie?

And no mention either that councils would only be able to buy into his pledge if they made huge cuts to vital public services.

In other words, another Con.

Same Old Tories eh...?

UPDATE: Channel Four News have just picked up on the difference between the spin and the small print and put George Osborne through the wringer. Thanks Jon Snow!

Anti-sleaze rules come back to haunt Cameron...

More whiffs of Tory sleaze today - less than 48 hours after Boris Johnson's Deputy Mayor was forced to resign facing a whole series of allegations. David Cameron is now under pressure to take action against his sidekick George Osborne who is accused of breaking Tory rules by accepting up to £10,000 for a speech in Jersey.

I have to say Osborne's defence when questioned by Andrew Marr on the BBC this morning appeared decidedly dodgy...

He insisted he didn't break anti-sleaze rules by taking between £5k and £10k, as well as complimentary flights and accommodation from the Jersey Institute of Directors.

His problem is that Tory guidelines clearly state:

'Shadow Ministers should not solicit fees for broadcuasting, speaking engagements and articles. Fees should not be accepted if the subject matter relates directly to your Shadow Ministerial responsibilities.'

Ironically, we know what those rules say thanks to Mr Osborne's previous rather questionable conduct.

They were made public a few months ago when wee Georgie faced an investigation by the House of Commons Standards Committee into donations.

Then, the Committee upheld the complaints against him.

Other Tory frontbenchers now facing similar conflict of interest claims include Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said to have received a donation from the director of an independent boarding school.

And Gove's deputy Tim Loughton apparently earns up to £35k a year as director of a company that provides camera equipment for schools.

Will Cameron enforce his own rules, or will he back wee Georgie and the rest...?

What do you think?

Exposed: Vested interests who secretly bankroll Cameron team...

David Cameron's front bench team has been exposed after attempting to cover-up potential conflicts of interests over donations.

Grant Shapps, Tory housing spokesman has received tens of thousands of pounds of cash to run his office from five different companies - all with vested interests in, er...housing.

Two online mortgage brokers, an estate agent, a commercial property developer and solicitors specialising in conveyancing and remortgaging all give money to fund the office of David Cameron's housing spokesman.

Andrew Lansley, Cameron's health spokesman has taken funds to run his office from a company that runs two secure children's homes as well as the owner of the largest manufacturer of NHS beds.

Jeremy Hunt, Cameron's spokesman on tourism, has received funds for his office from the chairman of the Conservative Tourism Taskforce and former chairman of the British Tourist Authority.

And Rutland MP Alan Duncan, Cameron's spokesman on business, enterprise and regulatory reform, gets cash for his office from the president and chief executive of an oil company!

These are just examples of a secret web of Tory donors uncovered in the official investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner into complaints against George Osborne, Cameron's Shadow Chancellor which I reported on HERE.

The Commissioner ruled that Osborne himself failed to declare almost half a million pounds from donors to run his office which had been channelled through general Conservative party funds but earmarked for his use.

Finding that Osborne broke the rules, the Commissioner has ordered every member of the Tory frontbench to disclose who funds their offices.

David Cameron talks a good game on transparency in politics, but the actions of his would-be Cabinet tell a different story.

Now the hypocrisy of Cameron's team has been officially exposed, he must come clean and publish without delay a full list of exactly is buying influence in his Party...

Breath-taking Quote of the Day came from George Osborne, Cameron's Shadow Chancellor. After being found guilty of breaking the rules he had the brass neck to say:

'I am glad that the rules have now been clarified and I will of course continue to adhere to them.'

Same Old Tories, eh?

Tory methods of hiding donations exposed...

A complaint that Tory Shadow Chancellor George Osborne failed to declare almost £500,000 in donations has been upheld by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Despite promises of transparency by Tory Leader David Cameron, the Tories secret method of hiding donations has been exposed.

Wee Georgie - and other shadow cabinet members - failed to declare donations.

Parliamentary Standards Commissioner John Lyon ruled today that funding channelled to Tory Shadow Cabinet members through Conservative Central Office should be made public. He is taking no further action providing the the Tories correct the official register within four weeks.

The official investigation was launched after it emerged that the Conservatives gave Mr Osborne almost half a million pounds to help run his office - at the specific request of the donors of the cash - but this was not reported, as it should have been, in the Register of Members' Interests.

Labour MP for Bassetlaw (Notts) John Mann said: 'The report shows that there is clearly a methodical system that has been put in place to hide donations.'

'The Tories are being dragged kicking and screaming into revealing their donors. What is really astonishing is that this has continued despite Cameron's promise of transparency.'

Needless to say, George Osborne has responded by claiming he has been cleared of all wrong-doing...

Same old Tories, eh?

Full report now on BBC

More Tory hypocrisy...

Cameron's sidekick George Osborne was on the telly earlier tonight suggesting it's wrong for Labour's Douglas Alexander to hold two jobs - Secretary of State for International Development and Labour's General Election Coordinator...

I thought wee Georgie's comments had a hollow ring. So I looked up his own website where he helpfully informs us that as well as Shadow Chancellor and MP for Tatton, he has another job...Would you believe he's the Conservative General Election Coordinator!

Pot and kettle...?

Wee Georgie gets his sums wrong...

Georgie Osborne's mum may think he's in cubs: but actually he's in Blackpool swotting up on his Ladybird Book of Sums.

In a desperate measure to save David Cameron's Tories, wee Georgie told a massive £3.5 BILLION porkie today.

He pledged that if the Tories win the next general election - whenever it comes - they would raise the inheritance tax threshold to £1 million.

Georgie claimed he'd make up the £3.5 billion a year shortfall to the Treasury caused by this proposal with plans on residence and domicile.

But within hours, a £2.9 billion BLACK HOLE has been exposed in his uncosted plan, clearly demonstrating why Britain could not afford to risk to our stable, strong economy by putting Cameron and Osborne in charge.

They couldn't be trusted as bankers on a monopoly board, let alone the nation's finances.

Alistair Darling, the real Chancellor of the Exchequer says:

"Initial costings by the Treasury show that George Osborne's proposal would raise a maximum of £650m, leaving at least £2.9 billion short. So George Osborne cannot afford the promises he is making. He cannot afford to cut inheritance tax.

"Their sums simply do not add up. There is a gaping black hole at the heart of their tax and spending plans. Today's commitments come on top of £3 billion in tax credit changes, which Mr Osborne admitted today might not be fundable in the next parliament, as well as their commitments on stamp duty and business taxes."

Wake up Georgie, it's time for school...

Even 1-in-4 Tories trust Brown-Darling over Cameron-Osborne...

Times analysis of latest Populus poll:

The most striking finding is over a hypothetical – but perhaps all too real – question: “If Britain’s economy were to face problems in the months or years ahead, who would you most trust to deal with it in the best interests of Britain?”

According to Populus, this is a clear victory for Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling over David Cameron and George Osborne, by 61 to 27 per cent. Even a quarter of Tory voters (23 per cent) favour the Brown/Darling team, as do two thirds of Liberal Democrats.

Flip-flop Dave in Downing Street and Wee Georgie in charge of the nation's economy...what a nightmare thought!

Tory writer says losing is the best Cameron can expect...

As David Cameron arrives back from his holiday anxious to launch a fresh come-back, a leading Tory writer writes off his chances and says he needs to find ‘at least one obviously Conservative policy’.

Former Tory MP Matthew Parris, now columnist for The Times says today that while David Cameron should 'play to win' the next General Election:

the best result would be to wing Brown then let Britain see him flap around for a year or two with a shrunk or non-existent majority.

Writing on the Conservative Home site, Paris goes on

At least one solid, distinctively and obviously Conservative policy should be found – death duties, whatever – headlined, showcased, and stuck to regardless.

And he says there should be

No more pictures with poor people...A sense of command should be exuded as he settles the final shape of his potential Cabinet. Some of the faces and voices are not right from the viewpoint of the world outside his party, and that’s the viewpoint that counts. An act of ruthlessness would come in handy.

Who can he be thinking of for the boot: surely not wee Georgie Osborne...?