'Buy George', shares in Osborne are on the rise

Responding to yesterday's letter from business leaders backing the Conservative policy on National Insurance left-wing bloggers were quick to resort to New Labour's favourite tactic; smear. They're Tory donors they screamed. Most of them weren't, of course, and today The Guardian (yes, The Guardian) reports that "former Labour donors and members of Gordon Brown's own business council are latest to back Tories on scrapping tax hike". Are they going to be attacked now too?

The NI policy is good for the Tories on so many levels:

• It reinforces the party's low tax credentials...
• It is not a policy for the rich but seven out of ten workers will benefit (none will lose out)...
• It will save jobs (57,000 according to the Federation of Small Business)...
• It is an understandable policy for the doorstep...
• It has undermined Labour's reputation as a pro-business, pro-jobs party... something Labour contributed to with Peter Mandelson's not-so-clever suggestion that those business leaders had been deceived. So much for the Dark Lord's political genius.

All-in-all the Tories have enjoyed their best week this year.

And who deserves the credit?

The man who is supposedly the Tories' number one liability.

The man targeted by Labour in a series of personal attacks.

George Osborne.

Last Saturday I argued we should get behind the man who rescued the Tories in 2007 with his inheritance tax cut.

He hasn't let us down this week has he?

Tim Montgomerie

9.30pm The Times agrees, its Political Editor Rowland Watson writing that the Shadow Chancellor has gone from Boy George to St George in one week.