Boris Johnson: Tax cutter and... future Prime Minister?

Today's Spectator can rightly be called the "Boris Johnson issue", containing as it does a selection of pieces about its esteemed former editor, timed to coincide with the impending first year anniversary of his arrival in City Hall as Mayor of London.

And of the various contributions, Ross Clark makes an especially important point. Headlined "The only tax-cutting Tory in town", he notes that the Mayor's "greatest achievement' so far has been to make a real terms cut in the amount of money he is costing London council tax payers by freezing the Greater London Authority precept.

"In a recession, when income from the congestion charge has fallen sharply and energy costs are high, freezing the GLA precept is a remarkable achievement which deserves to be better acknowledged... There is no smoke and mirrors about Boris’s tax freeze. It really has been funded by spending cuts... which have elicited virtually no audible response. "

Amen to that - and I trust David Cameron and George Osborne will ensure that the party nationally takes time to look at how he did it.

But wait, elsewhere in the Boris-fest, his biographer Andrew Gimson suggests that at the mention of Boris's name, Messrs Cameron and Osborne "make special little wriggly faces of disgust", not least because of his outspoken opposition to Labour's income tax rises (repeated today in the Evening Standard on the 50p rate)

He links this to Boris's perceived ambitions:

"The situation is worse for Mr Osborne. Mr Cameron has privately implied that he will serve only two terms as prime minister, by which time it is possible that Mr Johnson will have completed two successful terms as Mayor. This conjuncture can be dismissed as idle speculation, but since politicians spend much of their lives in idle speculation of their own prospects, it is a realistic guide to Mr Osborne’s situation. He is bound to wonder whether, after the Herculean task of sorting out the public finances, he will find his due reward, the prime ministership, snatched from him by Mr Johnson."

Andrew has long believed that Boris harbours ambitions for the highest office, and Evening Standard editor Geordie Greig joins in the speculation today. He directly asked Boris the question in interview and was given the reply:

"In the immortal words of Michael Heseltine I cannot foresee the circumstances in which I would be called upon to serve in that office. If like Cincinatus. I were to be called from my plough, then obviously it would be wrong of me not to help out. But the truth is I have a massive, massive job, an intellectual emotional challenge that I am hugely enjoying. I do not spend any time scribbling on the back of envelopes working out how I could be Prime Minister because it is not on my agenda, it really isn't."

Make of that what you will, although in the same interview the Mayor is also curiously cautious about discussing running for a second term at City Hall:

"If by the end of next year I feel we are restarting greatly to make a difference on youth crime and the alienation of youth then I am going to think about it. I will think 'are we on the right track?'" So he could be a one time mayor? "Nothing is excluded," said Boris.

I would have thought it was inconceivable that Boris wouldn't run again. Even if he is harbouring higher ambitions, I suggest that it would behove him to concentrate on doing a good job of sorting out the capital first.

12.30pm Update: The Guardian reports a denial form the mayor's spokesman of the suggestion that he may not seek a second term: "Boris absolutely loves the job and he had every intention of standing in the 2012 election. He's particularly keen to be the mayor who hosts the Olympic games but he is taking nothing for granted."

Jonathan Isaby

Comments

[David_at_Home]

Boris is a clown.

There is an honourable, even essential, role for a court jester in any government. His role is to tell unpalatable truths in a palatable manner. But the jester should not be given responsibility for running important departments of state or major cities.

[Kevin]

The first thing Boris did upon becoming Mayor was not to cut taxes or sack bureaucrats, it was to ban booze on the underground. Another authoritarian politician whose first instinct is to ban something.

Personally I think cutting taxes should come second to restoration of eroded civil liberties. What's the point of paying less tax in the sort of ghastly controlled society we live in? Sack enough of the jobsworths and bureaucrats that persecute us and you won't need the taxes to pay them.

If Boris wants to do something useful he could put the power to allow smoking back into the hands of London's Landlords and sack his army of smoking inspectors thereby saving the taxpayer having to pay the parasites. Not a chance.

[Anthony Scholefield]

I dont think Ross Clark quite understands that Boris wonderful idea of offering UK citizenship to all illegal immigrants in London will be the greatest impoverishment Londoners will ever see.
Work it out what the costs of extra capital will be in the form of housing roads water electricity and social entitlements such as pensions health and education.
Nor has the author of 'the cunning plan' told us what happens to the darling illegals who arrive after the glorious amnesty is proclaimed There is a hint that there will be such terrors visited on them that we dare not speak their name but also that the caring Mayor could not possibly visit such terrors on existing illegals.

The illegal immigrant amnesty proposals ant thier underlying carelessness will hang around Boris'neck just like the Eu issue did for Clarke and Heseltine.

[ToryBlog.com]

Yes, Boris for PM.

How many other Tories came out in the press yesterday pressing for the new 50p tax rate to be dropped?

[Ross Warren]

"Yes, Boris for PM."

Hold your horses for just a moment sir. Boris is not an MP right now is he? He is the most powerful Tory in the land!

He is doing a grand job as London Mayor. We have an excellent candidate for PM in the form of D.C. So for at least 10 years there is not going to be any need for Boris to be our prime minister. In the meantime he (Boris) is maturing and he will be just the sort to be considered when Dave is ready to move aside. The best thing about our Boris not standing for PM is that he doesn't have to change his style or stop being the first rate clown that he currently is. In fact I think it would be a big mistake to have Boris leading the party right now simply because he cannot resist the temptation to play up for the cameras.

[David Galea]

Boris showed that you don't need to pander to the Guardian to beat them.

[Ben]

ahahahaahahahahahahahahahaha! Boris for PM.....i don't think so!

[Norm Brainer]

He's better than DC at the moment but this is because Boris is where he wants to be, and DC is still trying to get there.
We'll see how things go when they are both in power.

But I think Boris is right in that it's not what he's gunning for at the moment, but wouldn't mind in a few years time - and it's too early to speculate what'll happen in 2017

[Sally Roberts]

This speculation is mischief-making of the highest order.

We should at the moment be concentrating on getting David Cameron elected as Prime Minister and supporting Boris on the excellent job he is doing as London Mayor.

[englandism.co.uk]

Today's email from Boris:

'Right now, without thinking, can you say what day it is today? For the (I suspect) sizeable majority who said Thursday, feeling rather smug at their mental sharpness, I am sad to say you are wrong. Well, not technically. Today is indeed Thursday. But the real point missed, is that it is St George's Day.

Living in such a vibrant, cosmopolitan city you end up celebrating all manner of national and religious days. Some you celebrate as heartily as those to whom they apply. St Patrick's day is an obvious one, where every pub in the land is decked out in green.

But St George's Day is still without fanfare, either forgotten or tucked away in a cupboard somewhere. This year, I want London to wholeheartedly celebrate. That is why the flag of St George will fly above City Hall today. I will be getting on a Routemaster bus and going across the river to the famous Leadenhall Market to join traders and Londoners in celebration.

Last weekend, the Globe Theatre held a celebration event to mark Shakespeare's birthday. This weekend, there will be an English music festival in Trafalgar Square.

St George's Day has been ignored in London for too long. We have much to be proud of in this great country. England has given so much to the world, politically, socially and artistically. There are many who feel that London is not just the capital of the United Kingdom, but also the capital of England.

So I am calling on all Londoners to don silly hats, step out into the sunshine and celebrate England's great patron saint.

Let me know what you think by commenting on the Blue Blog. It would be great to hear from you.'

Mayor Boris

[David Belchamber]

Aren't we fortunate as a party to have certainly two, possibly more, serious candidates for the job of PM?

Who has Labour got? Brown is certainly hard working but totally inept (I thought that U-tube offering of his this week might put Rory Bremner out of a job; I really don't think Rory could make Brown look any sillier) and looking at the glum faces on Labour's front bench yesterday, I can't think of anyone improving on Brown.

We must hammer him now to force him to call an election this year, perhaps even for a limited term National Government. We can't afford another 14 months of Labour.

[Thomas]

"the prime ministership, snatched from him by Mr Johnson."

If George Osbourne thinks that he stands any chance of being prime minister then he is even more deluded than we all thought. I'm pretty sure that Osborne is a nice guy but he doesn't fill people with confidence and the only reason he is shadow chancellor is beause he is so close to David Cameron.

[taskmaster]

What a load of appalling old rubbish from a deadbeat magazine that like so much of UK "business" these days doesn't make any money.

It's not even clear that the idiot has done anything significant as Mayor in nearly a year. It is clear that he has done nothing to change London in any significant way whatsoever.

So what if he wants to be Prime Minister. That doesn't have anything to do with his ability to get the job.

As for the Osborne's "due" comment, what an utterly premature and childish view of someon's ability to do a job that hasn't even been proven at all, and for which the person in question doesn't really have any coherent plans. Indeed, such plans as there are have simply been made up in response to what the Labour Party has done.

Just goes to show that Andrew Gimson in particular is not to be taken seriously.

[Malcolm Dunn]

Not sure this reflects well on the Spectator.Boris has done well in his first months as Mayor (comments about an asylum seekers amnesty aside)but there is a huge difference between that and being party leader.
He is after all not weven an MP which does seem to me to be an essential requisite for being PM.
I like Boris but I'm not sure his demeanour is suitable for the very tough times we have ahead of us.

[Norm Brainer]

I like Boris but I'm not sure his demeanour is suitable for the very tough times we have ahead of us.

It's exactly what we need... someone who is inspirational and willing to at least put ideas 'out there' to make the place better instead of just dictating us what dull ineffectual scheme is to be imposed on us for the good of the people now.

Just because people are going through bad times doesn't mean the people have lost their sense of humour and polititans should wear mourning suits.
Light-hearted, but serious is good.... Dull and stupid (like from dancysmiler) is what we don't need.

[Richard]

If George Osborne thinks he will ever be prime minister of this country then he is living in cloud cukoo land. To date he has shown himself to be a hopeless waste of space. The very fact that this fool may become Chancellor is worrying enough!

[Richard]

Boris has shown himself to be a geat Mayor of London, I am sure he would do an equally good job if he were PM.

[Robert Eve]

Although I like Boris I would much rather see Dan Hannan as Tory leader once Cameron moves on.

[rcs]

Cincinatus was a horse appointed as a senator by Caligula (?).
As usual Boris' education shines through the gloom. However, these days we cannot make a horse Prime Minister on ground of health, safety and animal rights, we get donkeys instead!

[rcs]

My apologies to Cincinatus - he was made a Consul not a senator.

[Steve Tierney]

Some time in the future, a government which included David Davis, Boris Johnson and Dan Hannan in the highest positions is like a football 'dream team' in a fictional newspaper league. It's wonderful to imagine (for me, anyway). It'll never happen.

Then again, lots of people thought Obama would 'never happen'. Politics has a way of doing the impossible sometimes. Who knows?

[AdamB]

Freezing the GLA part of the council precept will save a Band D household about £10 a year. Meanwhile he's increased transport fares by around £200 a year for the average couple.

And this is his 'greatest achievement'!

[Dog Biter]

Osbourne says he cannot "guarantee" he will remove Labour's 50% tax. In that case I cannot "guarantee" I will vote Conservative.

Osbourne was on Radio 4 today echoing Tony Blair's words that tax increases above 40% would make too little and annoy too many to be worthwhile, and yet he added that the Conservatives had no plans to remove the new 50% plan.

The man has got to be an idiot.

[Felix Bungay]

@ Kevin. I have to agree with you general points on restoring civil liberties, but the "right to smoke" is not one of them. Peoples right to breath clean air comes first over the smokers right to kill themselves and potentially others with second hand smoke. If smoking is allowed everywhere then it is the non smoking majority who are denied their freedom to choose not to breath smoke free air. The side of liberty is against you on this one.

[Felix Bungay]

2nd to last sentence should read "....denied their freedom to not breathe smoked FILLED air"

[m wood]

Lets see how Boris gets on over the next years - so far so good - and then consider it.
Right now the priority is getting a Conservative Government and we have a leader in place. As Sally says above, that is the priority

[Sally Roberts]

Cincinnatus was not a horse!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cincinnatus

[Susan Baker]

Presumably very bored at City Hall by now, he has the time and opportunity, as a loyal Conservative, to support DC

[David_at_Home]

Caligula’s horse was called Incitatus.

You really must pay attention, you Tory people, if want to take over the government!

[Sally Roberts]

Quite right, David_at_Home - at least I was paying attention rather than sitting at the back of the classroom flicking bits of paper at people as some others were obviously doing!

[Thatcherite88]

Anyone who does not oppose tax rises, at least in principal (it is necessary on the short term at the moment), is not a true tory. While I'm not Johnson's biggest fan by any stretch of the imagination, I feel he is at least someone who follows and believes tory values.

[David_at_Home]

Sally Roberts, take a gold star!

[Ross Warren]

" Peoples right to breath clean air comes first over the smokers right to kill themselves and potentially others with second hand smoke. If smoking is allowed everywhere then it is the non smoking majority who are denied their freedom to choose not to breath smoke free air. The side of liberty is against you on this one."

Maybe it would be better to say that smokers should continue to enjoy the right to damage their own health. Providing that they do so in designated areas, clearly marked as such and out of the way of non-smokers. I felt that a great opportunity to boost the business of ventilation engineers was missed.
What is not OK is forcing smokers out into the rain and snow. The deliberate humiliation of smokers is not OK.

[Sally Roberts]

Thank you David!

[Ross Warren]

"and yet he added that the Conservatives had no plans to remove the new 50% plan.

The man has got to be an idiot."

If we can keep this rate to 50% we will be doing well. I am surprised that he hasn't indicated that over time we would hope to reverse this. George could do with a bit of tutoring on the traditional values of Conservative people. He is far from a natural politician.

[Jack Stone]

Robert Eve. Dan Hannan lost all chance of ever becoming leader with his comments on the NHS. Most sensible Tories know that he just wouldn`t win an election after that. Can you imagine Labour. Vote Dan and lose the NHS!!!

[Mara MacSeoinin]

I'd be all for Boris as PM. He's brilliantly intelligent and, 99% of the time, shrewd; if he makes a mistake he owns up to it; he has a Real personality, unlike so many of these all style and no substance sheeple that trample across our screens; he has firm convictions; he is not afraid of speaking his mind; and he is a gentleman, which is such a refreshing change after twelve years of Labour oiks and trolls (Draper and Smith springing to mind).

[Simon Denis]

The NHS is a filthy, negligent, bloated, top-heavy, disease ridden disgrace. We could solve the debt crisis at a stroke by abolishing national insurance and enabling the people to take out efficient, private health insurance.

[Dontmakemelaugh]

In wanting Portillo as leader in a previous contest and illegal immigrants to be given amnesty, Johnson as as far as I am concerned isn't someone to be taken seriously. I would never vote Tory with him at the helm

[Wearside]

In an era of PR men (and a few women) who are desperate to supress their "real" opinions, in case it spooks the electorate. A real conviction politician, like Boris is a breath of fresh air (and a politician who is unashamedly proud of being both British and English).
However, in our media driven (24/7) world Boris would have no chance of surviving as PM.....Unless, the public REALLY are sick of empty slogans, soundbites, and PR chaps.

[A Voter]

Boris is simply not PM material. His unique skills are in working outside of the box, rounding the cavalry behind the enemy and supplying the necessary confusion.

He is bloody good at that.

[donald cameron]

Boris should be encouraged to grow his part time role of Tory sheepdog. But he is no shepherd......