UK government embarrassed by European Commission

At a time when the UK government needs all the help it can get to pull itself through the forthcoming election it was dealt a crushing blow by the European Commission this morning with severe criticism of the UK budget deficit. There are growing concerns within the political corridors of Europe about the UK budget deficit, which will only be halved over the next four years from the £178 billion forecast for this year.

While the UK authorities are adamant that this will be one of the sharpest reductions in G7 budget deficits forecast for the future there are still concerns about the financial strength of the UK economy and the UK finances. This has played somewhat into the Conservative party's hands at a time when Gordon Brown had appeared to be stamping his authority back on UK political scene with great success. Whether this is a blip in Gordon Brown's ongoing recovery or indeed marks the end of a very successful public relations campaign remains to be seen.

This is also a major test for David Cameron as he has been given the opportunity to make great political headway at the expense of Gordon Brown and the UK government. Whether he does so not could determine the outcome of the next general election.