Peter Hoskin

On second thoughts, maybe Labour should keep Brown in place…

Over at his essential blog, Benedict Brogan says that Dave ‘n’ George deserve some praise for Moody’s decision to retain the UK’s AAA credit-rating.  His thinking: that because Messrs Cameron and Osborne have been going on about debt and the need to cut spending, investors – anticipating a Tory government – are more confident about Things to Come.

A similar point is made by Edmund Conway in a comment piece for the Telegraph today:

“Part of the reason the debt markets have remained relatively sanguine in the face of a staggering collapse in tax revenues and increase in the deficit is that they are assuming a Conservative victory: when the prospect of an Alan Johnson leadership challenge briefly made a hung parliament more likely, they panicked.”

All of which inspires a question which may seem counter-factual to most CoffeeHousers: is the country better off if Labour doesn’t supplant Brown before the next election?  So far as our economy is concerned, is it actually more desirable that Brown stays in place for the next few months, so that a Tory majority is more likely?  Something to mull over on a Wednesday afternoon…

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