Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The guy with the red dispatch box

The guy with the red dispatch box in front of Number 11 Downing Street, is Chancellor George Osborne. He was setting off for Westminster to deliver the government's budget to Commons.

Osborne's Budget 'to fuel growth'

Chancellor George Osborne has cancelled next month's planned 4p rise in fuel duty in what he has billed his "Budget for growth".

A further 1p will be cut from pump prices immediately - all paid for by a £2bn tax on oil companies.

But he did not halt planned rises in alcohol and tobacco tax - 4p on a pint of beer and 15p on a bottle of wine.

The chancellor was forced to downgrade his growth forecasts - prompting mockery from Labour leader Ed Miliband.

"Every time he comes to this House growth is downgraded," said Mr Miliband to cheers from Labour MPs…

Mr Osborne set out a series of measures to boost enterprise - including a further cut to corporation tax, which will go down by 2% rather than 1% in April.

He also more than doubled the number of planned Enterprise Zones - from 10 to 21 - to bring discounted business rates to some of the most deprived parts of England.

[H]e had to balance any giveaways with tax raising measures - including a crackdown on tax avoidance - in what aides were calling a "steady-as-she-goes" package…

During his speech, which lasted just under an hour, he said Britain's record budget deficit was not shrinking faster than expected, as some had predicted…

Labour leader Ed Miliband mocked Mr Osborne's claim to have delivered a Budget for growth, saying the government's cuts were damaging the economic recovery.

He said: "One fact says it all and he couldn't bring himself to say it: Growth down last year, this year and next year.

"It's the same old Tories - it's hurting but it isn't working."…

Highlights of Osborne's speech from The Guardian