If you think George Osborne has been a mad axe man, just wait to see the cuts he has planned for the next Parliament. To return a budget surplus by the end of the decade, government spending will have to be slashed — but which departments will bear the brunt of his axe?
The answer (shown in the above chart) is buried in the OBR’s report on the Autumn Statement. Assuming ring fences on health, education and overseas aid spending, ‘other’ departmental government spending stands to be slashed by 42 per cent, or £61.3 billion over the next five years. The Home Office, Ministry of Defence and Business Department would all be vulnerable.
As well as these cuts to the other line, there are only two areas where spending would rise: health spending is set to rise by £1.8 billion over five years — compared to the extra £8 billion Simon Stevens has said the NHS needs by 2020.
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