Welcome to the Dark Arts newsletter.
The new government is off to a mixed start. There have been some positive signs, including pay deals for public sector workers and a small but welcome foreign policy shift on Israel. Moving over to the crap column though, we see Labour cutting a number of infrastructure projects and means-testing the winter fuel allowance – and of course, the continued commitment to the two-child benefit cap.
Elsewhere, Westminster is braced for a hard-fought Conservative leadership contest, with senior figures including James Cleverly and Tom Tugendhat putting themselves forward to captain the good ship Tory. No doubt there will be cash aplenty flowing into the coffers of the candidates – one to watch in the weeks to come.
