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MP is Politician of the Year

19/12/2007

TATTON MP George Osborne has been voted Politician of the Year.

The award acknowledges the massive impact of his speech as Shadow Chancellor earlier this year when he announced Tories would slash inheritance tax.

It is recognised that the proposals led directly to the Prime Minister scrapping plans for an early General Election.

The annual Threadneedle Spectator Parliamentarian of the Year lunch was held at Claridges in front of invited guests and thousands worldwide watched live on a ‘vodcast’.

Hosted by Matthew d'Ancona, editor of The Spectator, awards were presented by MP John Reid.

Handing the award to Mr Osborne a spokesman said: "Rarely, if ever, has a single policy proposal by an opposition politician changed the political weather so spectacularly and so suddenly as the Tories proposal to cut inheritance tax.

"This was not in the Labour script, and was not compatible with the Gordon 2007 software that had been loaded into the electoral machine.

"No matter: the figures were clear. Brown backed down, and the election was cancelled in a single, diffident interview with Andrew Marr."

Mr Osborne said: "It was a great honour to receive the Spectator's Politician of the Year Award after a remarkable year for the Conservative Party.

"But the change in our fortunes does not come down to a single person or a single speech, its a team effort and the superb leadership of David Cameron that made the country sit up and listen to what we had to say."

Newcomer of the Year was Nick Clegg; Peer of the Year, Baroness Thatcher; Resignation of the Year, Tony Blair; Minister to Watch, Liam Byrne; Marathon Man of the Year, Dr Ian Paisley.