George Osborne lures voters towards glimmer of light in budget speech
With optimism over economy slowly growing, chancellor delivers nakedly political performance devoted to wrong-footing LabourChancellors delivering a pre-election budget have a choice of going for...
View ArticleMiliband: austerity will worsen under Tories
In response to budget, Labour leader claims chancellor has hushed up the fact that NHS faces even deeper cuts under the next parliamentEd Miliband has warned that the pain of austerity will worsen if...
View ArticleBudget 2015: Britain's fragile recovery is based on an act of political...
Chancellor attempted to paint his nakedly political plans as statesmanlike – but UK’s woeful productivity mars his boasts to have navigated the road to recoveryGeorge Osborne styled Britain as the...
View ArticleCameron may be PM – but it’s Osborne who really runs this government | Simon...
The embattled chancellor has emerged from the budget with his reputation enhanced. Win or lose in May, he will endure.David Cameron may be monarch of Britain’s coalition but George Osborne is its first...
View ArticlePublic services face five-year 'rollercoaster', OBR chairman says
Robert Chote says consumers will provide momentum in coming term as chancellor’s amended austerity cuts put pressure on state-funded enterprisesPublic services face a “rollercoaster” ride over the next...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne's budget a crowdpleaser, but odds remain stacked against young...
Chancellor’s help-to-buy Isa might cheer first-time buyers but does not address root causes of housing crisis. Instead, over-65s are biggest victors by farFirst-time buyers will be handed up to £6,000...
View ArticleBudget 2015: Osborne offers few giveaways – but deep public spending cuts
Prospect of tough post-election squeeze overshadows £3bn in pre-election budget’s gains for first-time buyers and savers George Osborne set out plans for a severe post-election squeeze in public...
View ArticleOsborne will need unprecedented cuts in welfare to meet targets, says IFS
Thinktank warns that extra £20bn will need to be saved – while protecting pensions – even if austerity targets are relaxed as plannedThe Treasury will need to find “unprecedented” welfare savings over...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne rejects OBR forecast of 'much sharper squeeze on spending'
Chancellor dismisses Office for Budget Responsibility’s assessment that he is planning deeper cuts in the next parliamentGeorge Osborne has rejected the Office for Budget Responsibility’s assessment...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne: strong NHS needs strong economy – video
George Osborne, the chancellor, says his budget offered help for workers, savers and first-time buyers because his government has made difficult decisions. Speaking on Thursday in Tilbury, Essex,...
View ArticleEd Balls says George Osborne's 'extreme' economic plans mean cuts in NHS – video
Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, says the plans laid out in George Osborne's budget cannot be paid for without cuts to the NHS or a rise in VAT. Balls says the chancellor did not explain how he will...
View ArticleIFS says coalition tax and benefit changes have hit poorest the most:...
Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen, including George Osborne and Ed Balls’ post-budget interviews, and the IFS post-budget briefingOsborne announces new criminal...
View ArticleWhat the chancellor didn’t put in his budget | Letters
In his budget speech (Report, 19 March) the chancellor, George Osborne, forgot to mention the following eight factors: missed target to eliminate the deficit by end of this parliament; larger debt in...
View ArticleGeorge Osborne set to meet deficit target after rise in tax receipts
Government borrowing fell to £6.9bn in February, taking the total this year to £81.8bnThe UK chancellor was handed a pre-election boost after a jump in self-assessed tax receipts triggered the smallest...
View ArticleThe reality of Chris Grayling’s probation revolution – ‘£46 goes nowhere’
For a released inmate, the first £10 goes on travel. Then what? As probation is privatised and rehabilitation projects lose funding, Monica Ali gets a glimpse of the test facing one woman as she walks...
View ArticleReality check: will living standards be higher this year than in 2010?
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 upThe chancellor, George Osborne, claimed in...
View ArticleLabour attacks 'extreme' Tory NHS spending plans
Poster campaign warns the NHS cannot afford the impending ‘rollercoaster’ on public spending identified by the Office for Budget ResponsibilityLabour has launched a graphic election poster, featuring...
View ArticleHow lucrative NHS deals go to firms that use tax havens
Richard Branson’s Virgin group is among 10 private health providers with offshore linksVirgin Care, which has been handed contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds to run more than 230 NHS and...
View ArticleEnough of the dry politics of numbers. We need to discuss values and vision |...
Political conversation has been drained of all vitality, fixated on a narrow set of targets. To breathe new life into it, our politicians should stop talking like accountants and rediscover moral...
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