Harrogate MP on rights and wrongs of Mini Budget and why benefits should rise in full

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Andrew Jones isn’t one of those Tories who think the recent Mini Budget by new Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng was a sign his party was doomed to certain decline.

But, while welcoming large chunks of the announcement, Mr Jones said the Government’s economic plans contained aspects which he found troubling – most notably he says he would not support any move to raise working-age benefits in line with earnings rather than inflation, which would leading to real-terms cut for struggling households.

"Our record up to now on supporting people has been good – the National Living Wage, which we introduced in 2016, improving personal tax allowances.

"But the idea of eliminating the 45p top tax rate was wrong. It had to go.

"The principle should be that those who earn more you pay more.

"Those that have the broadest shoulders should carry more of the burden.

"We have to support those who need support.

"I would favour uprating benefits in line with inflation and I have said that to my colleagues in the party."

The days of ‘One Nation Tories’ may appear to be an idea no longer quite in fashion but neither is Mr Jones is known for being a radical free marketeer.

Control of both the public purse and inflation remains his watchword.

"There was a large problem to solve after the 2008 financial crash,” said Mr Jones.

"We had to focus on repairing public finances.

"But we were more in control of our own destiny under Cameron-Clegg.

"There were none of the big external shocks we’ve been seeing over the last few years.”

"We need to get inflation under control or we are heading into a very difficult period.

"What is dangerous more than anything to people’s lives is a period of high inflation.”

New Prime Minister Liz Truss and her Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng appear to have heeded the vociferous backlash to the Mini Budget which led to a drop in the pound and a rise mortgage rates and was branded disastrous by some.

As Parliament returns this week, the PM is launching a charm offensive with her own side, holding a series of meetings with MPs and addressing the backbench 1922 committee which Andrew Jones won membership to during the summer.

In an attempt to reassure financial markets – and his own MPs - the Chancellor has brought forward the date for revealing full details of his plans for tackling the thorny issue of public finances and public spending from late November to October 31.Mr Kwarteng has also given the go-ahead for the OBR, the independent budget watchdog, to publish its assessment of his spending plans at the same time.

Whether all of this will be enough to restore peace in the markets or amid warring Tories is still to be seen.

Mr Jones backed former chancellor Rishi Sunak to be Tory leader – and Prime Minister.

The long-standing Harrogate MP may not be a die-hard dissenter but the Mini Budget leaves him with some major questions to ponder with no easy answers.

"The Mini Budget had many thinks I thought were right – support for people’s energy bills, the Investment Zones to boost business,” said Mr Jones.

"It was right to try to break out of the risk of stagflation – slow economic growth and high inflation at the same time.

"However, the scale of the borrowing implied in the Mini Budget clearly spooked the markets.

"It could have been handled better by the Chancellor. It showed naivety on his part.

"The implementation was poor and the plans were communicated badly.

"The problem with the Mini Budget was the other measures hinted at which weren’t going to be announced until November.

"How was all the borrowing going to be paid back?

"During the Tory leadership contest I supported Rishi Sunak partly because he wanted to get a grip on the public finances.

"If you lose control of your money, your money then controls you.”

After four election victories on the trot, there is a sense that Mr Jones is looking beyond the week-to-week – or day-to-day – hurly burly of politics.

"I really don’t spend my days obsessing about whether I will win the next election,” he said.

"I have a job to do helping people with the issues they raise and speaking up for the area in Parliament and beyond.

"As long as the electorate put me in a position to do that job then I will continue to do it to the best of my abilities.”

Looking at the bigger picture, for Mr Jones, priority has to go to sustainable transport.

And he gives short shrift to the idea of fracking.

"The Government has done well in the last ten years in decarbonising our economy.

"We now get 49% of our electricity from renewables and that’s brilliant.

"We do need to retain fossil fuels in the interim period before we go net zero.

"We do need to ensure the security of our energy supplies but I do not think fracking is a good idea.”