Ok, so all Brown Budgets are political – but signs are that this week’s PBR could be his most blatantly partisan yet. I mean, just look at his speech this morning on improving efficiency in the public sector. Some of its measures are welcome – for instance, pledging to cut the pay of senior servants, and the general idea of using technology more effectively in government. But, as other folk have pointed out (see Guido and Iain Dale), the measures are insufficient to the scale of the debt crisis, and many are old news. All in all, the signs are as we expected: Brown is paying only lip service to cuts.
Instead, Brown is going to go heavy on soak-the-rich measures; thereby strengthening what Labour see as two dividing lines. The first: that the Tories are on the side of a privileged few, while Labour make policy for the many.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in