Leaked Treasury papers weaken UK government
The Conservative party has today played it is ace card with the publication of leaked Treasury documents which show massive public sector investment cuts planned by the UK government. Overall it seems that investment in public services will fall by 9.3% between 2010 and 2014 with 2011/12 set to experience real term cuts of 4%. So where does this leave the UK government?
There's no doubt that Gordon Brown's authority and that of the UK government has been undermined by the leaking of these Treasury documents and the fact Mr Brown has been determined not to reduce public sector investment. His U-turn yesterday appeared to show that while investment in public services would fall over the next few years, frontline services would be ring fenced from any reductions. However, what we see in these documents from the Treasury is not exactly what Gordon Brown told the unions just last week, when he had the paymasters in for a chat about the future.
There is real danger that Gordon Brown, in looking to accommodate the unions and the public, will alienate both parties and leave himself high and dry as we approach the next general election. Gordon Brown is not only at the crossroads of his political career but the Labour Party is at a crossroads as well.
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