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Gordon Brown is set to outline a raft of spending cuts before the next election in a bid to persuade the voters that Labour is serious about cutting the soaring deficit.
As a new poll gave the Conservatives a commanding 16-point lead, it emerged that the Prime Minister is ready to unveil a specific list of savings across Whitehall.
The cuts, which would be on top of the £35 billion efficiency programme already announced, would involve big projects being shelved, delayed or abandoned, it was claimed.
Mr Brown will insist that he still believes the main general election battle will centre on “Labour investment v Tory cuts”, but he has come under pressure to spell out to voters where he would also save money.
Party strategists are drawing up plans for “compassionate cuts” to reduce the soaring public debt without hitting front-line services.
Ministers will also claim that their investment in school and hospital buildings is paying off and that the Treasury's “fiscal stimulus” has helped prevent recession from turning into depression.
The new approach is expected to form part of the Prime Minister's autumn fightback with Mr Brown and Chancellor Alistair Darling set to use next month's TUC conference to call for pay restraint among high earners in the public sector to match that of those in the private sector.
But Labour's hopes of a poll boost from the recent summer onslaught over Tory NHS policy appeared to be dashed today.
A Guardian/ICM poll put the Conservatives on 41 per cent (unchanged), Labour on 25 per cent (down two) and the Lib-Dems on 19 per cent (down one). The survey showed David Cameron had suffered little damage from the NHS row prompted by MEP Dan Hannan declaring the health service was a “60-year mistake”.
The poll said 48 per cent of people think health care would be better under a Tory government, with 41 per cent saying it would be worse. Perhaps most worrying for Mr Brown is that 24 per cent of current Labour voters think the Tories would improve the NHS.
Although the figures point to a healthy Conservative majority, Labour insiders have told Mr Brown that the poll lead is “soft” and can be worn down by pointing out how sketchy Tory policy currently appears.
Under the autumn fightback plan, ministers are set to show the Government is serious about reducing the deficit, which is set to balloon to £175 billion this financial year.
One Cabinet minister told the Independent: “Efficiency savings are useful but not a substitute for real savings. There will be lots of things that need to be put off, done more slowly or abandoned altogether.”
There is sure to be speculation that both the £25 billion Trident replacement programme and the proposed national ID cards may be delayed.
Ministers have vowed to protect Crossrail but other transport projects could be hit.
Trident and education under threat
The independent Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that over the next decade the Government will have to reduce spending, or increase taxes, by £90 billion. Big ticket items that could be hit include:
* £25 billion Trident replacement programme
* £5 billion ID cards scheme
* £16 billion armoured vehicles
* Two new 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers which were due to come into service in 2016 and 2018 at a cost of £5 billion
* £400 million could be cut from Further and Higher Education, partly through the “re-prioritisation” of programmes
* Joint Strike Fighter aircraft for Navy and RAF, costing £12 billion
* Cutting £1 billion from frontline policing, partly through time-saving technology
* Saving £500 million from the NHS through discharging patients from hospital sooner
* £538 million could be cut from Network Rail by reducing its grant and cutting the amount spent on operation, maintenance and renewal of infrastructure
* £650 million from education quangos and funding for sixth-formers. A further £307 million could be saved from a one per cent “efficiency saving” in schools
Reader views (44)
No cuts for immigration and getting none Brits of the dole. But cuts for armored vehicles for our men and women in the Military. What a joke. Just stop sending billions to other countries and to house and feed immigrants. For God sake man--think of us once in awhile. Too much to ask, I am afraid
- Ian, Doncaster England
As 95% of the EU budget we pay annually of £14billion a year is missing we could pay only £700million the 5% that is not stolen and is accounted for and keep the £13.3 billion that is unnacounted for according to the EU auditors. That would be a huge saving
- Jas, Camberley UK
When Brown laughs he looks just like a maniac,its enough to send a chill down your spine,and he expects us to trust his judgement?.
- Aufdeutsch, Canterbury Kent England.
Slightly worrying that Labour are being so biased against Defence, when the ID scheme alone would save £5billion or more. Then the final salary pension schemes would save over £30billion a year? Why should i pay taxes for other peoples pensions? when no one pays for mine?
It seems crazy to cut Defence when we're at War? Are we really just seeing Labour admit that it hates defence as we all feared? Very disappointing.
- Gary, London
Yes--let's see just what these are plse
It is some months till the election but no voter should consider voting for ANY party till they have seen just what specific cuts each party have planned. Holding off painful decisions till the day after the election won't wash.
- William Grierson, Kimpton-UK
Colin,
Your from Barking and you are Barking!
You are fighting yesterdays' battles and making allusions to another time in what was another country.Deference died out in the sixties and it was Mrs Thatcher who killed it off once and for all and gave the ambitous and vigorous ordinary people their chance.
David Cameron is from a very privileged background but he wants no deference afforded him I can assure you.
- Andrew Nicholls, Ely ,England
@ Keith Price, Luton England
Our country has been morally and financially bankrupted by Labour, Broon and his rich socialist henchmen.
We are no better of than some third world African nation with an unelected dictatorship.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
So that's 88% of the list of cuts being applied to the military budget.
Once a student Trot, always a student Trot.
- Freddy, London
whatever the ill fated brown declares, promises, or threatens is of liitle consequence. He and his confused,
conceited and contemptable rabble fast slipping into political oblivion are yesterdays men, if indeed they were ever anything other than an unfortunate blot on the political landscape.Like Thatcher who ruled the dung heap and seemed implacable and irriplaceable they will
crumble and fade to be remembered as pathetic, increasingly irrelevant and just another misfortune heaped upon the history of england and her inhabitants.
unfortunately the knight in shining armour cameron will fare no better, he will rule and perhaps even be revered
for a while, maybe lauded as the great saviour of england,but his reign will be as brief as will his days of bathing in the sun of political splendour as Wilson Thatcher and Blair. All are human,driven by inflated egos and as falable as the next person, with feet of clay and ambitions of vain glory.
politics is an ugly and ruthless business and only the
most brutal and unscrupulous will rise to rule.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
Is this the same Gordon Brown who has stood at the depatch box for months and accused David Cameron of preparing to make cuts.
Brown is a total unprincipled hypocrite who is only interested in saving his own skin.
However, nothing he does or says at this stage can save him from going down in history as the worst Prime Minister the country has ever had.
- Scotty, Cambridge UK
Keith Price: I make that the 4th time you've posted that in 10 days!
Sue, Orpington: the French go one better than that - you only get tax rebates for the second 2 children, ensuring that you really want your first kid because you're paying for it yourself - and only tax-payers get money back for any further children, helping to ensure dossers don't just have more and more children in order to take more and more money out of the system. This has countered the decline in the population needed to support the growing elderly sector without encouraging a huge influx of babies from elsewhere: if you want to bring your children to France you either have to pay tax or provide for them yourself!
- Roz, France
After this year of shambles piled upon shambles, and with each day bringing new reports of governmental incompetence in every sphere stretching back 10 years - just who in their right mind would vote Labour? I suspect only the insane and those with reserved seats on its gravy train - which could well have reached 25% of voters by now.
My fear is that with the civil service castrated by Blair and gang, and substituted by hundreds of quangos headed by Labour aparatchiks, anything short of full-blooded revolution will have little or no effect upon this disgraceful state of affairs.
- Martyn L, kingston upon thames
Keith Price,I sincerely hope that your condition improves,it's giving me cause for great concern.
- Mustapha Word Before Closing., Canterbury Kent England.
Another example of a Government project which doesn't work is the East Anglian regional emergency control services centre. Built for £23m at Cambridge, and completed last year, it cannot become operational until 2011 because the IT doesn't work. In the meantime, it is costing £166,000 per month to keep mothballed due to rent, maintenance(?) and security. The DCLG says the building is being used 'for meetings and workshops'; so that's alright then!! It is one of 9 regional centres which the DCLG says 'require fit out and essential staff training, and system testing, before going live.' One can only hope that the other 8 aren't suffering the same problems.
- J Terry, Suffolk
I'm a bit confused here, Brown said that there would be no cuts and accused the tories of massive cuts, yet a few weeks later he is anouncing that there will be cuts???
Must admit as I have no children and have never been ill in my 36 year working life, and I was better off under the tories, so they get my vote.
I personally think the whole of the public sector management stinks, they have been found out of 'how not to act as a labourite', they are not for the working man no more, they as greedy as anyone else.
Labour was created for the poor working person to give them freedom and democracy, but obviously this party don't listen, bit like communism.
I do agree with many in this country, bring our troops home. As for double standards, we are told that we must fight activists, yet we release them after all the hurt they have caused.
Whats happened to principles???
- C Cusano, Bedford
So Brown has been telling lies all along when he said he wouldn't. In the House too. No change there then. When did Brown every tell the truth anyway.
- Albert Hall, hove england
At last the truth about Labour CUTS is out of the bag (but note the pathetic spin about a "soft lead" for Dave in the polls). But it's too late for Crash Gordon and his crew of halfwits, chancers and charlatans - they're on the run and no mistake about it.
Haven't heard from Keith yet, but his sidekick - Dhan Raj, Basildon - is still trying it on.
- Ted, London
Posters, you will be able to recognise Keith Price in public, he is the monkey wearing the red rosette.
- Dee Jay, Fleet Hampshire
Please be on the lookout for an escaped parrot. It has red plumage and answers to the name of Keith.
- Kevin T, Beckenham, Kent
Perhaps he could look at not paying bogus child benefit claims to EU nationals; cutting back on the huge gold plated pensions enjoyed by his vast army of apparatchiks; cutting back on his vast army of apparatchiks; stop paying benefits to feckless, lazy single mothers who seem to attract vicious partners who murder their children. But no doubt it will be the hard working, saving, middle class who will get clobbered, again.
- Patricia, LONDON
'Compassionate Cuts', oh do give over Mr McDoom! Dressing up essential cuts in Public spending is just camoflage, and means nothing. Labourr eally msut think that the electorate are all stupid.
It might jsut be that the Lib-Dems could become Her Majestys Opposition if Labour really fall at the next general election. However, watch out of the pre-election 'Bribes' from McDoom.
- Uncle Vanya, East Anglia Area UK
So 41% want the return of deference and be kicked around by a bunch of Old Etonians.Strange people the English.
- Colin, barking essex
All you Labour supporters & MPs go on permanent strike with all the unions and leave REAL people to get on with their lives and real MPs to run the country, oh and also dismantle the BBC (otherwise known as the official Labour supporters society)
- Derek, Oliva,Valencia Spain
Well done Gordon Brown for rescuing the country from the worldwide economic recession, which has hit many other countries far harder than it has us here in the UK
- Keith Price, Luton England
Britain has given £1Billion in Foriegn Aid to India these last 5 years. Suppose helped pay for their Space Program % Military expediture plus some change for Food.
Though funny part is that India itself gives Foriegn Aid to a host of countries.
- William, Hay~Heath UK
He's had twelve long and painful years to make these cuts. The only person who'll buy this is Keith....
- Marianne, SW France/London
Not only is Labour a third rate party, but the UK government is third rate and 'led' by a quite useless prime minister. The UK is fast becoming a third rate power, let alone a third rate country, under this lot.
Defence must take a hit, just like other budgets, but to cut the defence budget in the manner hinted at in this article is tantamount to criminal. Certainly the RAF could be abolished and its assets, role and people transferred to the Navy and the Army - that would save £3.5bn, improve defence co-operation and procurement without any loss of operational effectiveness.
Drastic times need drastic measures.
TV Licensing should be abolished in toto and a modest increase in tax should pay for the BBC. Over 90% of taxpayers would be better off as a result and we would be rid of another quite unnecessary bureaucracy.
No subsidies should be paid for empty night bus services running from 0230 to 0430 - they are a waste of fuel, too.
Air fuel should be taxed and greater effort made to reduce unnecessary air travel. More should be done to improve rail services at the expense of air travel. Chelsea tractors should attract a much higher level of tax in an effort to discourage them.
Local authorities should carry out a full review of spending. All efforts should be made to maintain the basic infrastructure but silly pet schemes that cost a lot but help few should be abandoned.
Bonus schemes should reflect only real success in the public sector.
- Lester May, London
Tories, only 16 points head? Things are looking up for Labour. By the time of the election it'll be down to 5%.
- Dhan Raj, Basildon
Hear we go again talking the same old rubbish get lost gordon
- Richard Edmunds, Rayleigh Essex
Labours spending was out of control before the slump. All too little too late Broon, the bringer of Gloom.
Also our payments to the EU farce is set to rise to £6.4 billion from £4.1 billion. We are only second to Germany in paying more than we get back from the EU Federal Fascist White Elephant.
As soon as the illegal EU Constitution is finally ratified, it doesn't matter what government we have in power, because we will be ruled by Brussels. An unelected, unaccountable executive.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
The most imnportant cut that Brown could make is to his own throat. It would instantly solve SO many problems.
- Minority Working Person, London/England
Britain needs a revolutionary change to the concept which has dominated politics since WWII - the idea that government can spend your money better than you can and has a moral right to do so.
There are basic services like the police, army and health which need public funding but the monstrous imposition of social engineering schemes designed to transform the society into pliant servants of the left needs to be brought to an end.
The idea that government should take around half your money would have been thought insane in past times and it is.
- Mike Newland, London, England
PEOPLE HAVE VERY SHORT MEMORIES.
REMEMBER THE STATE OF THE COUNTRY UNDER THE LAST TORY GOVERNMENT.
LABOUR IS JUST FARCICAL
LIB DEM= POLITICAL EXCRETA
People should vote for independant candidates , who when elected would have to form a democratic consensual government in Westminster.
THIS COUNTRY DESERVES MORE THAN THE ASSET STRIPPING WE HAVE SUFFERED UNDER THE TORIES AND NU-LIEBOUR.
BY THE BONES OF MY ANCESTORS WE DESERVE BETTER.
AND BRING OUR BOYS HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN .
MR (NOT TOO LATE TO SAVE OUR GREEN AND PLEASANT LAND) PASTRY
- Mr Pastry, OLDE LONDON TOWNE
The obvious place to start cutting is the Quangocracy created by New Labour. 1100(!) new Quango's created since 1997. Typical Socialist job creation in order to create a dependency culture; a constituency of dependent Labour voters.Abolishing these pointless Quangoes will save several billion and not damage any real frontline public services.
- Andrew Nicholls, Ely ,England
Suggest he start with a cut back on MP's, say by 20% to start with.
- Shallotman, Basildon
The biggest portion of income tax goes towards the social security and Health budgets. Perhaps if someone had the guts to stop NHS migrants coming here just to use our hospitals to get a free operation; refuse to pay money to those in society who live on social from cradle to grave; and only give children's allowance for the first two children, and do away with tax credits (want kids, pay for them yourselves) we'd have cut expenditure by at least 20% and wouldn't have to reduce the Defence budget which our lads need on the front line to help keep them as safe as we can with the best equipment.
- Sue, Orpington, Kent
Labour can bleat about spending cuts, but the biggest waste of money in the UK by a long way are Labour local councils. Why are these councils so good at creating highly paid non-jobs with huge pensions like "diversity officers", but so awful at providing the most basic services like road and pavement repairs and litter collections? They have become corrupt entities unto themselves and are a collosal waste of money. I don't pay council tax to fund the ridiculous salaries paid to diversity officers. Their budgets should be cut by 50% and they should be ordered to provide the right services. If they still refuse after this, the government should be able to sack their management and send in 'enforcement teams'.
- Mike, London
another promise that will be broken gordon is goood at headline grabbing statements.He just never carries them through
- David Smith, Croydon
Brown you are wasting your breath, knowone is listening to you anymore..... you tell too many porkies !! Go and continue your holiday in Scotland and don't bother coming back !!
- Wayne, Herts, UK
We could save vast amounts of money by withdrawing from the pointless war in Afganistan.
- Michael, Glasgow
This article just caused my browser to crash. I've traced the error to your reporters inference that Brown was going to reduce the UK deficit.
I've now written a little program to mark such things as 'strange English black humour (requires further analysis)'
- Threaded, Roskilde, Denmark
If he was serious about cuts he would already be making them, especially Civil Service final salary pensions and government running costs.
No evidence of any savings whatsoever in terms of government internal costs only greater expense. A good start would be cut the Civil Service staffing, in all its forms, including Quangos, by 10% BEFORE the election
- June, London, England
According to the latest polls, it looks like "new" Labour is about to become a 3rd rate party, if their popularity doesn't stop sliding! Keep it up Torries.
- Stewart, Cape Town, South Africa (expat)
It looks like Lib Dems are catching up to Labour! Will it be that labour will become a third rate party under Gordon Brown? Here's to hoping so.
GO Torries!
- Stewart, Cape Town, South Africa (expat)
