Today we have discovered that Ken Clarke has yet again been critical of one of David Cameron’s flagship policies, condemning his commitment to give tax breaks to married couples:
“I got rid of the married couples allowance [when I was Chancellor]… I really don’t think it’s anything to do with politicians whether you [get married] and most of the younger people I know don’t seem very keen on it. My view of Conservatism is that it’s not for us to tell you [what to do through] the tax system – my wife didn’t put up with me because I was getting £150 by way of tax allowance. This is social engineering for God’s sake and when I joined the party we weren’t in favour of it.”
Ken Clarke, Nottingham University, December 2008 – Reported on www.publicservice.co.uk, 27 January 2009
James Purnell MP rightly throws down the gauntlet, saying: “George Osborne and David Cameron should take Ken Clarke’s advice and ditch their unfair and unfunded marriage tax plans.”
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