Our new poll demostrates one thing overwhelmingly; British voters are fiscal conservatives.
The row about public spending - which of the parties would continue to 'invest' in public services, how big departmental cuts would have to be - has been rumbling on for months. Having finally choked out the 'c word' at the TUC conference, Gordon Brown then singularly failed to elaborate further in his own party conference speech, and indeed even managed to come up with an entirely unfunded list of initiatives on everything ranging from social care provision to homes for teenage mums.
The public it seems, however, have made up their minds. Voters want spending cuts and prioritise reducing debt over tax cuts. More strikingly, support for more tax and spending on health, education and social benefits is the lowest it has been since the British Social Attitudes series began in 1983. As recently as 2007, 42% supported more tax and spend. Now only 24% do.
There is an enormous weight of expectation riding on George Osborne's speech on Tuesday. But in the meantime, it looks as if voters - even Labour ones according to our poll - have not only accepted that public spending at the level we have seen cannot continue, but don't even want it to.
Natalie Evans is Deputy Director of Policy Exchange.
