So there’s been a bit of interest in the Tories’ latest marriage tax plan (version 6? I’m losing count).
The idea is for a Transferable allowance for all married couples with kids aged 0-3.
On closer inspection however it turns out that the policy would cost £0.8bn in 2009-10 prices – and wait for it – would benefit just 6 per cent of married couples, 2 per cent of all family units (single people or couples and their dependents) and 3 per cent of adults.
So everyone would pay for a tax break that wouldn’t even help the majority of parents with the hardest job they do; bring up kids well.
It’s now clear Mr Osborne couldn’t organise a party in a brewery never mind a budget in the Treasury.
(Estimates have been derived from HM Treasury’s tax and benefit model using Family Resources Survey 2007-08 data uprated to 2009-10 levels of prices and earnings)
Liam is the MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, and Chief Secretary to HM Treasury. The youngest member of the Cabinet, he was formerly the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office. 
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Best assume that those fabulous Bullingdon Club restaurant smashing crawls round Oxford were in the hands of other members, and that Osborne & Chameleon just went along for the . . . ride.
Anyone got a compendium of the reasons of the Chancellors who cut back the Married Tax Allowance as they progressively removed it? Lawson, Clarke, Brown? Names unlikely to be ranked with Osborne’s, whatever fortune brings.