Pre-Budget briefings: huge cuts to welfare

Plus: Cameron calls for “louder” support for our troops.

By James Macintyre Published 20 June 2010 10:15

There are two main government-related political stories today.

First, and perhaps inevitably, details of this week's emergency Budget appear to have emerged, pointing to a huge slash in benefits from Iain Duncan Smith's Department for Work and Pensions and a rise in regressive VAT.

Apart from the fact that -- despite Lib Dem influence -- this is looking like a very neo-Thatcherite Budget indeed, there may be raised eyebrows in Whitehall about all the briefing clearly going on ahead of it.

Second, David Cameron has made a call, through the pages of the Sunday Telegraph, for the public to express its support for our military "more loudly and more proudly", ahead of Armed Forces Day next weekend.

In theory, this is admirable. And doubtless the Prime Minister must fill the huge appetite in the media for government-related stories (the Labour leadership remains in the shadows at present). But, with growing sadness and dismay among the public over 300 British deaths in Afghanistan, not to mention the ongoing war in Iraq, politicians must be careful not to ask too much.

Support for the military comes without question, and it probably comes more easily without political interventions such as this.

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12 comments

Sun, 2010-06-20 11:11 — Sue Davies (not verified)

And the announcement of another Blairite fulfilling the oft made prediction that they would join the Tories ... John Hutton to advise on cutting public service pensions. Wonder who'll show their true colours next?

Sun, 2010-06-20 11:18 — swatantra nandanwar

Absolutely disgraceful Hutton advising the Tories. What does he know anyway about welfare? The Tories have enough of their own advisers anyway, and will put us all on rations, or vouchers which is their word for rations.

Sun, 2010-06-20 11:37 — Sue Davies (not verified)

Richard Murphy predicts 4M unemployed
http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2010/06/18/4-million-unemployed-inevi...

Sun, 2010-06-20 13:01 — Graeme (not verified)

There will clearly be civil unrest.

Sun, 2010-06-20 13:37 — Sue Davies (not verified)

I've found the next Blairite to join the ConDems - Richard Reeves of Demos - so often invited to appear on the BBC for the Lab view - is to be a special advisor to Nick Clegg

http://www.leftfootforward.org/

Does Purnell fancy his chances in the coalition or a future assault on the LP?

Sun, 2010-06-20 16:00 — UberMoo (not verified)

For Cleggeron 'leading' the country is just another thing to brag about with their toff mates.
I thought you joined the army nowadays and are not conscripted. Surely those in the army made a decision to join up in the first place.

Sun, 2010-06-20 18:03 — Nick9

Cameron is just using the military to get public opinion on his side. It's just hype to get public support. Deep down the Tories know that Liberal support will be short lived. Clegg should become a Tory! I wouldn't be at all surprised if the current ditching of all the so called 'Liberal' principles forces a dramatic split in their party. That's why Cameron is scratching around building up lost Tory support.

Cameron is kidding himself if he thinks he's going to save billions on welfare reform. He clearly doesn't know how far advanced labour were with their reform and the implementation of Employment Support Allowance. Welfare reform has already been dramatically changed. The cost of reviewing thousands of transitionally protected Incapacity Benefit (a benefit introduced by the Tories in 1995) claimants will outweigh any cost savings because ultimately it is so called health care professionals who decide who is medically fit for work (albeit these so called professionals work for a target driven privatised company called ATOS). Claimants are appealing in their thousands, the cost of which is phenomenal.

It's all very well saying we are going to get people off welfare into work.......what work? It's ludicrous to suggest you are going to save money on welfare by getting people back to work at a time when the coalition is simply increasing the number of unemployed people!

As far the military is concerned, Cameron knows how expensive it is to keep them out in Afghanistan, the minute our soldiers are home they will be faced with the realism of defence cuts, many soldiers will end up on the dole!

The truth is Cameron and Clegg just haven't the skill or experience to deal with a fragile economy, all they are doing is telling the public what they think they want to hear.

Sun, 2010-06-20 18:25 — hindle-a

My father was in the Armed Forces and involved in the Falklands War nothing made him more against the Tories than the disingenuous jingoistic wrapping of the flag around Thatcher for political gain.

Sun, 2010-06-20 19:42 — Nick9

Yes Hindle, it's disgusting that the military are now being used as a PR mechanism to muster Tory support, it's demeaning to those who genuinely believe in the virtues of defending our country, it's a measure of how low Cameron will stoop.

Cameron must laugh his head off at how he is duping his supporters, it's all a game to him. Clegg is different; so called 'power' has simply gone to his head. He is disillusioned to think that his deputy 'premier' ship is what the public actually voted for!

The public must surely deep down know that is all wrong. In a way I think it is relatively good that Labour are currently a silent opposition because the public can then make up their own mind and see just how disastrous this coalition is. Osborne is a fool, I wouldn't trust him with my piggy bank let alone the economy!

Mind you I think a current ploy is to make out that this budget is going to be horrendous, but then it won't be as bad as they say; thus everyone will think they are being 'kinder' to us than the media makes out.

It's interesting to note that Bob Russell (lib) has just announced his disgust with Clegg and welfare reform, the first of many to come I hope!

The biggest voting factor is how much people will have left in their wallets; that isn't going to be much one this lot get going!

Sun, 2010-06-20 19:44 — Nick9

That last line should read.....once this lot gets going!

Mon, 2010-06-21 00:22 — hindle-a

Your idea about about preparing people for the worst is correct-it is also a signal to the financial markets that it is taking the "necessary austerity measures" There is a lot of hysteria -"emergency budget"-are we threatened with invasion or something "saving the economy from ruin" etc.The cynical mantras of "cutting with fairness" "protecting the vulnerable"
in an attempt to get Joe Public to feel that it had to be done but they have protected people is starting to grate somewhat about as genuine as Brazil's second goal against the Ivory Coast or to be fair the "foul" by Kaka.Having looked at Osborne's background I have been made aware that I have (and about 95% of the population )more training in Economics than he has.