UK News
Insights from the UK and beyond
Treasury tables challenge notion of a ‘progressive’ spending review
Email 
Print
During his speech to the House of Commons announcing how he would cut government spending, Chancellor George Osborne insisted that the richest 10 percent of Britons would bear the brunt of austerity measures.
But a glance at the tables in the Treasury’s own Spending Review report suggest a different picture.
Chart B.5 on page 99 of the report shows that – taken on its own – the Spending Review, which includes benefits and welfare cuts, will affect the poorest 10 percent of the population the hardest. Only by including Budget measures do the top 10 percent come off worst.
The Conservatives have pushed aggressively the notion that ‘we’re all in this together’, but, as public service cuts bite and jobs are lost, fewer and fewer people may be convinced.
Comments RSSPost Your Comment
-
Author Profile
-
Like France then. I see nothing of the establishment taking a real hit whether it be those in government, those in parliament, those in top admin posts nor those lounging around in the head of the gravy train called the EU bureaucracy. People are fed up and with good reason at the complete injustice of political decision making. Few people will not wish entrepreneurs and those invested with their own capital to not do well for taking risk but the political showers across Europe deserve nothing but our contempt. Spin is not enough to convince anyone this time around. Bankers get millions and the poorest pay. When I see real effort to have fair change and real social justice then I for one will shut up.