Fleet Street rejects Gordon Brown's lies about 'Tory cuts'

I'm in danger of repeating my post of yesterday but Fleet Street's reaction to yesterday's 10% cuts debate isn't good for Brown.  In fact, it's damning.  Every serious commentator is rejecting the Prime Minister's argument that the choice is between Labour investment and Tory cuts.  Like the BBC, they are all saying that the next government - of whatever colour - will have to make cuts:

"Defence and welfare spending will be cut by ten per cent WHOEVER wins the next election, it was revealed last night. Britain’s finances are so stretched that the next Prime Minister will have no option." - The Sun

"Figures hidden in the Budget reveal that after 2011 Labour would slash the money going to public services by 7 per cent in real terms - contradicting Mr Brown's claims it will increase." - Daily Mail

"Mr Brown’s primary tactic for restraining public spending is through savage cuts in capital projects such as transport infrastructure, hospital and school building and military equipment. The prime minister did not seem keen to reveal that he plans an almost 40 per cent cut in cash capital spending between 2011 and 2014." - FT

The Sun Says column accuses Gordon Brown of being "desperate and deceitful".

On Today this morning, debating with Philip Hammond MP, the new Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, sounded slippery - constantly evading John Humphrys' 'yes or no' questions.

A number of newspapers, including The Independent and The Times, also report the unhappiness of Andrew Lansley's shadow cabinet colleagues at the protected status he has won for health.

ConHome worried about the protected status of health yesterday.  The Daily Telegraph joins our argument today:

"The Conservatives are beginning to say the right things – witness the thoughtful speech this week from  George Osborne, the shadow chancellor – yet they remain hamstrung by their insistence on accepting the sacred cow status bestowed by Labour upon the NHS. This risks distorting their entire public spending strategy. No one doubts that spending on healthcare must rise: an ageing population and medical advances make that inevitable. What is not inevitable is that the taxpayer must continue to pick up the entire tab. New revenue streams from co-payment and the wider use of private insurance must be part of the mix. Relying on the taxpayer alone will make a decline in standards of treatment unavoidable."

Tim Montgomerie