Alistair Darling accused of losing control
As the budget deficit for February alone widened to a massive £9 billion it looks as Alistair Darling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, has lost all control of the UK government budget. His initial estimates of a £78 billion deficit for the current tax year appear to be well short of the mark as debt has now risen to £75 billion already and we are still not at the end of the tax year. These are the worst figures on record and give an example of the massive increase in the deficit - the £9 billion deficit for last month is eight times the deficit only 12 months ago.
There is a feeling within Parliament that Alistair Darling has been set up for a fall by his fellow MPs as somebody needs to take the blame for the ever-increasing government budget deficit. The announcement of the record deficit for last month prompted David Cameron, leader of the Conservative party, to withdraw his party's promise to match Labour spending plans if they regain power in 2010, commenting that hard times were ahead.
While the Labour party may mock the refusal of the Tory party to now match Labour spending plans, no doubt voters will take great pleasure in seeing a reduction in their liabilities in the short to medium term.
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