How will the Tories sell more welfare cuts?

David Cameron is making noises about further welfare cuts as he tours India, reports the FT’s Kiran Stacey. This isn’t surprising: the PM has got a gaggle of Cabinet ministers pecking at him and squawking about cutting DWP spending even more in order to protect policing and defence in the 2015/16 spending review, which will be settled in the next few months. But are we going to see the same pattern of decision-making and the same rhetoric on welfare spending as has emerged for previous budgets and autumn statements? This is how it has worked recently:

1. Spending decisions approach.
2. Nick Clegg (or an acolyte) says he’s blocked further cuts to the welfare budget. Iain Duncan Smith makes a similar noise.
3. The Treasury (or sometimes even the PM) starts flying kites on welfare cuts.
4. The Lib Dems say they won’t accept a deal without the rich taking another hit, namely through a mansion or wealth tax.