The Coalition is drawing to an end in a surprisingly civil manner

It’s the last Budget before the election tomorrow and there are just a few days left of the Coalition. Which is why it is hardly surprising that a few of the pre-Budget briefings aren’t so much briefings designed to bag policies a bit more coverage but leaks by one party designed to embarrass the other.

The Tories had been working on their inheritance tax policy for the Budget but will instead announce it in their election campaign because of Lib Dem opposition. But that hasn’t stopped ‘sources’ leaking Treasury analysis of the planned cut to the tax to the Guardian, and saying ‘this looks like a policy to buy more Tory votes to help the wealthy and would be highly regressive in its impact on society’. Those ‘sources’ don’t sound very Tory, do they?

Across Whitehall over the past month or so Tories have been finding that previous coalicious ministers have become a great deal more hostile.