UK PoliticsHutton Calls For Spending Honesty
Hutton calls for spending honesty
Voters expect honesty from politicians about public spending, former cabinet minister John Hutton has said.While it was very difficult to be precise about figures years ahead people knew things were going to be tight, he said. Labour says the Tories are planning 10% cuts, while the Tories say Labour are not being honest about their own plans. Former PM Sir John Major said if public spending was not cut, the standard rate of income tax may have to rise by 5p. Both Labour and the Conservatives are under pressure to spell out what spending cuts will be needed to rebalance the public finances and reduce public debt. ‘Dishonesty’ rowThe Sunday Times reports that senior civil servants are preparing plans for 20% cuts in public spending because they fear politicians are failing to confront the issue. On Wednesday Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the BBC he was being honest about his spending plans – after Tory leader David Cameron suggested there was a “thread of dishonesty” running through his premiership.
Mr Hutton left the cabinet in the recent reshuffle but says it was for “personal, not political” reasons. He said he believed the government had been clear about where its priorities were – education, welfare reform – but said the debate had “to deepen a little bit”. “I don’t think you can go on saying we can continue to spend as if nothing has happened in the last year or so – people know something big time has changed,” he told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show. Politicians had to be clear about what they would prioritise – “politicians have got to lead that debate and be clear with people about what’s happening”. “People are much more grown up than we often assume, they understand there’s a change coming, they want to be clear about what the priorities are, how they deal with that.” Later in the programme Sir John, Tory prime minister from 1990 to 1997, said the current economic crisis was unprecedented and could be dealt with only by reducing public expenditure or increasing taxes. Referring to the government’s plans outlined in the Budget, he said: “There’s already an increase of 10p in the upper rate from 40p to 50p for the rich. “But the rich can’t remotely provide the sort of money we’re needing. That’s relative petty cash compared to what will be needed. “I think you may well get 5p on the standard rate, you may well get VAT at 20%. “And even if you got that, you would not begin to bridge the gap that needs to be bridged”.
Source:BBC
