Is the government playing fast and loose with the numbers?

The government got ticked off last year over the national infrastructure plan playing a bit fast and loose with the numbers. Labour thinks they could be up to it again.

Treasury shadow minister Chris Leslie thinks the government has massively over-estimated how far down the track it is with existing infrastructure projects. The chart on p.12 of the government document says over 60 per cent are off the blocks and in construction. Labour says the Excel data suggests that number is 22 per cent.

I’ve just arrived in Bicester – soon to be home, we are told, to a New Town. In not sure it’s quite the ground-breaking fresh idea the government would like you to imagine.

Cherwell district council have helpfully issued a press release explaining that they want garden town status for building that is already happening. The MP for the area, Tony Baldry (pictured above), told me: “The aim has always been to get new infrastructure to support the building that is already going on.” He nearly choked on his corn flakes to hear reports that Bicester would double in size thanks to the new town status.

The ResolutionFoundation yesterday unveiled distributional tables for tax allowance reforms and coined a phrase new to me suggesting there was a “candour deficit” in government. What we need maybe is a candour deficit reduction plan?

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