Living standards are up, the deficit is halved, the surplus healthy, employment soaring and the north a real winner. We check if Osborne’s budget claims add up
The chancellor, George Osborne, claimed in his budget speech on Wednesday that household living standards were rising. He said:
Today, the latest projections show that living standards will be higher than when we came to office.
Five years ago, the deficit was out of control. Today, as a share of national income it is down by more than a half.
Related: George Osborne talks a good game, but his strategy has been a flop
“More people have jobs in Britain than ever before.”
Yorkshire created more jobs than France but so did corner shop around the corner from me. It took on one person. In France, employment fell.
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