To coincide with the release of his fully abridged and updated Memoirs of a Tory Radical, Nigel Lawson was interviewed for the Sunday Telegraph this weekend where he discussed the various subjects in his book as well as the challenges facing George Osborne in the run up to the Comprehensive Spending Review.

The former Chancellor revealed he has high hopes that his latest successor will hold his ground and have the confidence to make the necessary cuts to be announced on Wednesday.

“It is absolutely imperative that George makes a start now. A big start. As big as he can. There is always, of course, a limit in a democracy as to what is politically possible so you have to respect that limit. But in my experience governments tend to be too timid.”

In a video interview which corresponds with the piece here, Lord Lawson also talks about climate change, university funding and fears of a global currency war.

Fully updated with new material, the revised edition of his classic political autobiography, View From Number 11 - Memoirs of A Tory Radical gets straight to the heart of economic policy-making at a time of crisis and creative change and includes a final chapter which reflects on current events, including the banking crisis.

Memoirs of a Tory Radical is available now from Biteback priced £14.99