Tory MP Claire Perry today (Wednesday) defiantly backed the Chancellor George Osborne’s budget in the face of what has been described as “omni-shambles” in the coalition government.
When asked by Adam Boulton on his Sky TV show if she thought the government was in trouble, she replied: “I think we are seeing the end of easy party politics where a government can come out and make lots of empty promises and do lots of things but fundamentally beggar the country and leave us with a huge deficit to pay off.
“What you have seen is a mid-term budget that takes some really tough decisions and actually says what we need to do is to get Britain working.”
Marlborough’s MP, who had a career as a banker before entering politics, pointed out that tax cuts had been given to 24 million people, corporation tax reduced to a competitive level and the 50 per cent tax rate for high earners reduced to 45 per cent because it wasn’t an effective way of raising revenue.
“I think there is going to be a lot of discussion,” she added. “I think it is good discussion.”
As to the end to VAT anomalies such as those on hot food and static caravans, she declared: “We are dealing with all these massive tax anomalies.”
“I am 6ft 1in. Our tax debt reaches my waist. We have one of the most complicated tax systems in the country. There are VAT anomalies all over the place.”
“And we have to sort them out.”
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