From the BBC: Cutting inheritance tax would not be a high priority for an incoming Tory government, Ken Clarke has said. The shadow business secretary told the BBC its main economic goals would be to cut public debt and restore growth. The Tories' pledge to take millions of families out of inheritance tax in September 2007 was seen as a key moment in reviving their political fortunes. Labour ...

 The dogs in the streets now know how eye-wateringly awful the public finances are,  not least to the Tories' "Dad's nose, mum's eyes, Gordon Brown's debt" campaign .  So what would a Tory Government do about that mountain of debt.   Raise taxes?  It seems rather likely, if you listen to Ken Clarke on Sky News today. Says Ken:

George Osborne the shadow chancellor yesterday refused to rule out tax rises to tackle the debt crisis which he predicted Gordon Brown would "bequeath" to an incoming Tory government.

George Osborne will warn today that a Conservative government would struggle to cut taxes if Britain is "crushed" by debt as Gordon Brown increases borrowing during the recession. In a speech at the London School of Economics, the shadow chancellor will accuse the prime minister of planning to "borrow without limit" in a way that would create a burden of debt that would take a decade to pay off. O...

George Osborne has used the financial crisis to attack the Prime Minister. From the BBC :: George Osborne has accused Gordon Brown of planning a “spending splurge” that will saddle two generations with debt. The shadow chancellor told the BBC attempts to “spend your way out of a recession” would only lead to “huge debt” and higher taxes

Where will the growth come from? That is the question the Tories are setting out to answer today when George Osborne proclaims what he will call "a new economic model for Britain". Business investment and savings must, he says, replace debt as the foundation for prosperity. Osborne will set out eight benchmarks which, he claims, will allow people to assess Tory progress in government towards this ...

George Osborne would welcome Ken Clarke the former Chancellor back into the Tory shadow Cabinet and has been actively pushing his case.

CHANCELLOR George Osborne ruled out unfunded tax cuts or increases in public spending today, warning: "You can't borrow your way out of debt."

Shadow business secretary denies he is at odds with David Cameron and George Osborne over the issue The shadow business secretary, Ken Clarke, today dismissed the row over his comments about the Tory plans to scrap inheritance tax on estates worth less than £1m as a media "hoo-ha". Clarke was widely seen to be downgrading the party's commitment to the policy when he described it at the ...

So, Ken Clarke, the former Conservative Chancellor of the Exchequer, has been brought back into the publicc eye as he returns as David Cameron's business spokesman to counter Peter Mandelson. The deal was sealed over lunch on Saturday between Mr Cameron, Mr Clarke and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne. Clarke, a rabid europhile, has voted against the party whip 33 times, more than any of his c...