James Cockram

The hard truth is that government must do fewer things, and do them better. It is not there to solve all of life's problems. Labour and Reform are squabbling over who can be the most interventionist in the Poundland dispute. Getting involved in Poundland is the opposite of doing fewer things better. In a dynamic economy, thousands of businesses will be created every year, whilst others sadly fail. Although not a frequent shopper, I’ve always been a fan of Poundland. Mrs Griffith has been known to have to fish me out from wandering the aisles, marvelling at how some of the products are so much cheaper than elsewhere. Brands of my youth such as Our Price records, Woolworths and Oddbins are no more. Consumption patterns change, new technologies emerge but so long as there are entrepreneurs willing to take and back risks, new growth fills the places vacated by others. Poundland was founded in the 1990s. It will have taken a place left by other businesses, had that not been allowed it would never have existed in the first place. The government has a huge role to play in sustaining profitable businesses in the UK, but the bar should be set very high on piling into disputes once a business is already in trouble. Instead, the government should make it less expensive and risky to employ staff, lower business rates, tackle planning red tape, deliver cheaper energy and lock up prolific shop lifters. All of these would help our retailers. If there is ever a Poundland ‘post-mortem’, just like the rest of the High Street, I am sure these factors will feature prominently. If I were Chancellor, reducing those burdens, rather than grandstanding on social media, would be my focus. In this case, some are asking that the government ‘step in’. In reality, that means government deciding what rules apply to whom and telling businesses that politicians know better than them. This never goes well and that judgement is often clouded by political factors. If we enter a world in which politicians decide the future of businesses, we will find that businesses must put a ‘price’ on the risk of government sticking their fingers in everywhere. The cost of doing business goes up, and fewer people bother at all. We end up in a world where it’s who you know that matters, not what you know. Investors, who have a choice where to take their money, will demand a higher price to do business here - or stay away entirely. Every well-intentioned regulation or intervention has its unintended consequence. It sounds harsh, but not every problem has a government-shaped solution. And sometimes the most mature and courageous political position is to stick to those things which government can do to make. That decision won’t always be popular, but it will be based on the truth.

I’ve been through Labour’s Budget line by line. For Westminster: nothing on our £100m cut, the Family Home Tax confirmed, more tax on landlords and more control for Sadiq Khan. Read it in full: westm.news/budget-line-by-li… #WestminsterMatters #Westminster #CityThatWorksForAll

The Mayor says it was his Oxford Street scheme or managed decline. It wasn't: £20m of our £120m plan had already been spent before he binned it. Tim Barnes (@votetimbarnes) on Times Radio. #WestminsterMatters #Westminster #CityThatWorksForAll

Following recent calls from the Green Party in Lambeth for locally-based @Shell_UKLtd to pay additional local "tax", I have written an open letter in @TheCriticMag to invite the company to #Westminster thecritic.co.uk/shell-would-…

It hasn't been a good month for Lord Khan...

It's Budget Day - but will London be better or worse off after John Healey has had his way? @ThomasFTurrell sets out what we need to see to benefit London 👇

Local should mean councils. Devolution should be down, not upwards from councils to Mayors.

Lewis obviously being deliberately provocative here. He must know that London needs balance. Businesses, workers, emergency services: we all still need vehicles on our roads and the idea that getting rid of them in large numbers in our capital would be helpful is just nonsense.

Plans to reduce the number of police forces could see the City of London Police merged with the Met. The City of London Police have a real specialism in tackling fraud and economic/ cyber crimes which could be weakened by a merger. Concerns I raised at City Hall last week 👇

Cliveden House burnt down in 1849. The architect behind Parliament rebuilt it in two years. Now, Parliament has spent over a decade just planning its own repairs. What happened to the country that built things? 👇

One week to go before #OxfordStreet closes to traffic and there are still a lot of details to be worked out. But busses will be changing and the details of that and road crossings are summarised here. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cmzx… @mayfairforum @FitzWestForum @sohosocietyw1 @CLWCA

🎬 Great news: the Prince Charles Cinema has signed a new 25-year lease. A landmark not only in Westminster but for cinema goers everywhere. Long may the projectors keep rolling! #PrinceCharlesCinema

Healey’s ‘mixed messages’ on bank tax leave City blindsided bit.ly/4ip7oDq

🚨 The IMF just downgraded Britain’s growth forecast. High energy and borrowing costs are killing our economy. John Healey needs to get a grip. Instead of more tax rises, cut welfare spending and get Britain drilling in the North Sea. You can’t tax your way to prosperity.

Westminster cleans up after millions of visitors. We do it because it's right. But give councils a direct financial link to the benefit and the difference would be massive. Devolution must reach the town halls, not stop at City Hall. 🏛️

Inheritance Tax punishes people for working hard, saving, and leaving something for their children. That’s why we Conservatives are taking the first step towards abolishing it completely. We will scrap Inheritance Tax completely on the family home and raise the threshold for other assets to £1 million for a couple. We are on the side of people who work hard.

💥 Nearly a million young people are not in education, employment or training. It’s time for action. That’s why we Conservatives will halve the tax on youth jobs, and give young people the opportunities they deserve.

Hammersmith and Fulham Council has warned of a potential 150 per cent tax hike due to the Government's Fair Funding reforms. The borough, known for its low tax rates, is set to see its Gov funding cut by more than half over next 4 years. mylondon.news/news/west-lond…