George Osborne says he is spending an “unprecedented” amount on the NHS. So why do critics insist there is a historic squeeze on budgets?
Gary Gibbon
Mr Osborne’s newly announced plans to scale back cuts and raise taxes brings him in line with policy positions promoted by his Lib Dem coalition partners during the last parliament.
Gary Gibbon
George Osborne got a bit lucky two weeks ago when the numbers came in from the OBR… and he decided to blow the money. We may never know what he planned to do before that point.
The facts and figures came thick and fast as the chancellor defended the government’s stewardship of the economy today. Did he pass the FactCheck test?
Gary Gibbon
One Treasury source said this was “just where the graph lines happened to end up,” implying no champagne popping pencilled in for the big day five years off.
Ahead of the chancellor’s Autumn Statement tomorrow, here are eight questions about the speech, the economy and the politics answered.
Gary Gibbon
Tory MPs tell me they suspect the chancellor’s getting all his infrastructure and NHS spending news out of the way early because he’s given up on getting a hearing for good news on Wednesday.
The devil is always in the detail but FactCheck is on hand to run the slide rule over the chancellor’s latest update on the health of the economy.
Gary Gibbon
The chancellor had his revised growth updates to wave at Labour today but the cost of living indicators which Ed Miliband has got him looking at are a little bit more precarious.
George Osborne says the richest will pay the most after the Autumn Statement. FactCheck isn’t quite as convinced.
Gary Gibbon
George Osborne has said austerity is “a hard road but we’re getting there” but some could interpret his statement as an admission that we’re nowhere near the end.
Manchester’s rag trade is booming – yes, really. Here’s what it means for the economy – and five more things to watch out for in Osborne’s autumn statement.
Today’s strategy could be a lifeline for a government keen to avoid further U-turns. How does it work?
Gary Gibbon
Things have already deteriorated since the March budget – and borrowing is set to rocket still more to the sort of numbers that Osborne ridiculed in Labour’s plans.
“The bad news for Mr Balls is that the OECD specifically praises coalition policy on cutting the deficit and keeping borrowing rates low in helping to create the right conditions for that recovery.”