UK Budget 2006 - Politics
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Video: Philip Stephens on Brown’s most political Budget yet
The Budget was rather like a chinese meal: once you’d eaten it, you wondered what was there. What will be remembered is the political message. This was Gordon Brown’s final bid for the leadership.
Brown defends record on health spending
Gordon Brown responded to opposition accusations that his Budget had neglected the NHS, saying that he had previously announced an extra £6bn for the health service.
Cameron lambasts ‘roadblock to reform’
David Cameron dismissed Gordon Brown as a man “stuck in the past”. He accused him of pledging investment in public services without improving results.
Lib Dems call for action on the environment
Sir Menzies Campbell, the new Liberal Democrat leader, accused Gordon Brown of ‘running out of steam’, producing a ‘tired’ Budget that failed to address economic imbalances and environmental priorities
Philip Stephens: Tilting at toffs is a Scot’s sport
There were moments when it seemed the chancellor had already moved next door to No 10 Downing St. As he roamed across Whitehall – announcing new task forces, initiatives, and incentives – Mr Brown deferred to no one. Mr Blair fixed his grin.
