It is austerity designed by Mr Osborne and nodded through by Philip Hammond that will shape the economic and political landscape for the rest of this parliament and the next. So Mr Osborne is a consequential figure despite his relegation to the back benches. It carries authority that Mr Osborne can either cultivate or squander. But the NICS measure is also politically fissile because it contravenes a 2015 Conservative manifesto pledge. So is flagrant breaking of manifesto promises.

Source: The Guardian March 09, 2017 19:07 UTC