Tag Archives: comprehensive spending review 2013

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “Our central purpose: Getting the economy back on track”

By Stephen Tall | Sun 30th June 2013 - 10:50 am

This week was the week of the Comprehensive Spending Review. Perhaps more importantly for the Coalition’s self-confidence was the erasure from the economic records of the double-dip recession. Nick’s letter this week is bullish about the Lib Dems’ record on the economy: “Creating jobs. Stopping the build up of Labour’s unsustainable debts. Getting the economy back on track”. It is also savage of Labour’s record, not just in government but their last three years in opposition, too: “They don’t have a credible economic plan and it’s no wonder people don’t trust them with their money.”

Combine this with Danny Alexander’s assault on Labour’s pensions policy and David Laws’ publication of that infamous hand-written note by Liam “there’s no money” Byrne, and it’s clear the party is upping the ante in taking the fight to Labour (ironically as Labour continues moving its position closer to the Lib Dems’).

Here’s Nick’s letter in full…

Money, jobs and investment dominated the agenda this week. On Wednesday, the chancellor set out details of the Spending Round: the last set of savings we will have to announce in this Parliament. On Thursday, Danny Alexander followed up by announcing massive new investment in our roads, rail, housing and infrastructure.

Posted in News | Also tagged city deal, Danny Alexander, jobs (Lib Dem) and letter from the leader | 62 Comments

The Independent View: What does the Spending Review mean for UK cities?

By Ed Clarke | Sat 29th June 2013 - 10:25 am

This week’s announcements were both a preview of the coalition’s spending plans for 2015/16 and a sign of the government’s direction of travel. For cities, the spending review was mixed. Despite the Government delivering the Single Local Growth Fund devolution was fairly limited, with an emphasis on central government control rather than local autonomy, and most of the policy announcements lacked a focus on ‘place’.

Wednesday’s announcement of the Single Local Growth Fund was an important move towards greater localism, but the allocation of £2bn a year for five years was paltry compared with the £49bn over four years Heseltine …

Posted in The Independent View | Also tagged city deal, housing, manchester, michael heseltine, one public estate scheme, single local growth fund and stephanie flanders | 3 Comments

Philip Hammond on Coalition with the Lib Dems: horses for courses?

By Stephen Tall | Fri 28th June 2013 - 9:25 am

There’s an interesting interview with Tory defence secretary Philip Hammond in this week’s House magazine. Two snippets in particular will be of interest to Lib Dem readers.

Let’s start with the defence department and horses. In the lead-up to the spending review when tensions were spilling over between the treasury and the spending departments, Danny Alexander remarked in an interview: “Of course, in a department that has more horses than it has tanks, there are room for efficiency savings without affecting our overall military output.”

Danny’s jibe stung …

Posted in News | Also tagged Danny Alexander, foreign office, ministry of defence, nick harvey and philip hammond | 20 Comments

Danny Alexander MP writes… Investing in Britain’s future

By Danny Alexander MP | Thu 27th June 2013 - 1:08 pm

Video by hmtreasuryuk on YouTube.

Yesterday, we set out a Spending Round that delivers Liberal Democrat priorities on investment and improving our public services while making responsible choices to deal with the financial problems Labour left us. It demonstrated that the Liberal Democrats will remain firm in our commitment to tackling the deficit, but fair in the way we go about it. Our number one priority in Government has been to fix the economic mess we inherited from Labour.

Today I have set out how we will invest in our country’s economic future by creating balanced growth and delivering lasting prosperity. I have announced the most comprehensive, ambitious and long-lasting capital investment plans this country has ever known.
In doing so we are putting long term priorities before short term political pressures and we are ending the culture of short-termism that plagued so many of our predecessors.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged high-speed rail, housing, infrastructure spending, roads and schools | 22 Comments

Danny Alexander MP writes… Spending where it matters

By Danny Alexander MP | Wed 26th June 2013 - 1:25 pm

Our number one priority in Government has been to fix the economic mess we inherited from Labour. Today, we set out a Spending Round that delivers Liberal Democrat priorities on investment and improving our public services while making responsible choices to deal with the financial problems Labour left us. It demonstrates that the Liberal Democrats will remain firm in our commitment to tackling the deficit, but fair in the way we go about it.

When we entered Government in May 2010, we inherited from Labour an economy that was on the brink. We set out a plan to get our economy …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged childcare, nick clegg, pupil premium, social care, troubled families programme and vince cable | 53 Comments

Opinion: Liberal Democrats must stay firm on deficit reduction

By William Hobhouse | Tue 25th June 2013 - 8:59 am

George Osborne will stand up in the House of Commons on Thursday to announce the government’s intentions for public spending for the 2015-16 financial year in circumstances he neither anticipated nor wished for.

As a result of weaker economic growth and a revision to the estimates of the capacity of the British economy, the structural deficit that the coalition had hoped to eliminate by the time of the next election will exist well beyond it, meaning further spending cuts and tax rises.

Liberal Democrats must spell …

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged economy, george osborne and liberal reform | 58 Comments

The Independent View: Rumble in the Jungle as Cable takes on Tarzan

By Ed Cox | Sun 5th May 2013 - 2:30 pm

After all the warm words and soft soap on Lord Heseltine’s No Stone Unturned report, in an interview with The Northern Echo, Business Secretary Vince Cable broke ranks this week and poured cold water on any great hopes of any significant new devolution deal.

In the Budget in March the Chancellor of the Exchequer offered general approval for Heseltine’s plans stating that more details of the government’s response, not least the amount of departmental funding that would be channelled into the Single Local Growth Fund, would be announced in June’s Spending Review.

Heseltine has identified departmental funding …

Posted in Op-eds and The Independent View | Also tagged michael heseltine and vince cable | 3 Comments

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Tag Archives: comprehensive spending review 2013

Nick Clegg’s Letter from the Leader: “Our central purpose: Getting the economy back on track”

The Independent View: What does the Spending Review mean for UK cities?

Philip Hammond on Coalition with the Lib Dems: horses for courses?

Danny Alexander MP writes… Investing in Britain’s future

Opinion: Liberal Democrats must stay firm on deficit reduction

The Independent View: Rumble in the Jungle as Cable takes on Tarzan

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Vince Cable writes: Drill, baby, drill…or not

Lib Dems must do better on Burnham

Britain should be proud, but never afraid of the stranger

Lib Dem Women: Amplifying women’s voices at Conference

Tag Archives: comprehensive spending review 2013

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