Alistair Darling on Thursday signalled he is preparing a Budget for jobs, as he attempts to channel whatever limited funds are available towards training and helping people back to work.
The chancellor said he agreed with Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, that the April 22 Budget should not see a spending splurge, but could involve “targeted” interventions, including helping the unemployed and struggling business. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Darling laid special stress on measures to help stem rising joblessness in a month when the total out of work rose above 2m for the first time under a Labour government.
