UK Pre-Budget 2005 - Politics
Resources
Philip Stephens: Brown’s largesse to Cameron
The chancellor, more impatient by the day to swap the Treasury for the premiership, was drawing afresh the political dividing lines between left and right.
Robert Shrimsley: Man enough not to say sorry
The public warms to someone who is big enough to admit he is not perfect. Monday was that day for Gordon Brown, and so the chancellor strode manfully into the Commons chamber and did...no such thing.
Tories attack unpenitent anti-hero
Gordon Brown is ‘holding Britain back’ through his economic profligacy and resistance to public service reform, the shadow chancellor George Osborne said.
Brown tries to patch up tax credits
Gordon Brown has set out to patch up his ailing tax credit system by allowing low income families to earn up to £25,000 more than they planned before they are forced to pay back excess credits.
More for military as cost of Iraq war nears £4bn
Gordon Brown said the Treasury has allocated an additional £580m, taking the total cost of the war in Iraq to nearly £4bn.
Extra funding gives councils ‘no excuse for excessive taxes’
After an extra £813m funding for local authorities, budget caps may be used to keep council tax rises under 5 per cent.
Unions vent anger over public sector pay squeeze
Public sector unions already in dispute with government over civil service job cuts and local government pension changes reacted angrily to the chancellor’s latest attempts to rein back public sector pay rises.
