Leaked Treasury papers show Brown-Darling were planning cuts all along
11.45am update:
Before news emerged that the Government ahs ordered a leak inquiry into how the documents reached the Conservatives, David Cameron said at his monthly press conference that the Prime Minister had been denying something the civil service were telling him was true, with the tables revealing an intention to cut capital expenditure on schools, hospitals, roads and other capital projects: "He's not wrong to be planning cuts - but he is wrong to try and cover up plans for cuts," he said. It's about honesty, trust and not taking people for fools, Mr Cameron added.
Contrasting Brown's repeated accusations in the Commons with the 9.3% cuts contained in the document, he said: "Wednesday after Wednesday he repeated the lie [the official party release of his statement uses the word "line", some present heard it as "lie"]... That reality has now caught up with the Prime Minister... He has to explain whether he was being straight with people."
11.15am Update:
This from Ben Brogan is noteworthy (my emphasis):
"Fascinating that the Shadow Chancellor has this morning accused the Prime Minister of lying and there isn’t a collective intake of breath. Do that in the House of Commons and even this Speaker will call you out. For one rt hon gentleman to challenge the integrity of another would once have provoked if not outrage then at least tut-tuts of disapproval. But here was George Osborne on the Today programme trumpeting his secret documents: “Gordon Brown has misled the public, he has misled the Commons, he was not telling the truth.” And if there is no reaction, it is because we have collectively come to the same view, that the Prime Minister cannot be trusted to tell us the truth. How depressing."
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Click on image to enlarge. I've underlined the crucial line in red. Cumulative cuts equalled nearly 10%.
George Osborne - who received the leak - discussed the importance of the secret numbers on the Today programme. He accused Brown of dishonesty and, in particular, of misleading the public and the House of Commons. Listen again here.
Hat tip to Paul Waugh for the copy of the spreadsheet.
This seems a good moment to post our new video again - marking Brown's great spending u-turn:
Tim Montgomerie
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