Lib Dem conference: Danny Alexander reaffirms support for Osborne’s Plan A

Danny Alexander had reason to be very chuffed this morning when his party gave its overwhelming support to a motion he tabled, praising George Osborne’s Plan A for the economy. The motion also welcomed the recent infrastructure announcements from the government, underlining that these investments were possible as a result of the government’s ‘hard-won fiscal credibility’.

This motion was about reminding Liberal Democrats of the cause the coalition had united over, and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury took care to present Labour as the villains in this, insisting that ‘Labour is wrong on the economy’. But that didn’t stop some activists pushing a rival amendment — which was overwhelmingly knocked back by activists — calling for the government to abandon its fiscal mandate and pushing for what it called ‘a change in direction of economic policy’. The difficulty of negotiating a workable coalition with Labour in 2015 was clear too: the activists who spoke were damning of that party’s economic record.