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The state of Britain

Public spending will soon account for almost half the UK economy. Only in world wars or when it owned the commanding heights of industry has the British state assumed such importance. A consensus exists on the need to shrink the state but there is little detail on how to effect this, reflecting a lack of understanding of what the modern British state does

State of Britain

Related content and features

Brown and Cameron clash over budget deficit

Gordon Brown and David Cameron clashed over plans to tackle Britain’s budget deficit on Monday, as the party leaders sought political advantage on an issue that is set to dominate next year’s election

‘Tackling budget deficit should be priority’

David Cameron can expect an enthusiastic reception at the CBI’s annual conference on Monday, reflecting the transformation in the Conservatives’ relations with business since he became party leader

Lack of clarity over price of measures

If the panoply of bills outlined in the Queen’s Speech were intended to reinforce Labour’s message that it was serious about controlling government spending, the lack of clarity about the likely price tag did little to offer reassurance

Brown focuses on fiscal bill in Queen’s speech

The Treasury says a fiscal responsibility bill will reassure financial markets and put pressure on ministers to identify public spending savings, though the Tories view the bill as little more than a gimmick

PM acts to revive fiscal reputation

The proposals for the government to pass laws to make it act responsibly have drawn scorn, not least because the bill contains no legal sanction should a chancellor fail to meet the targets laid down

Comment & Analysis

Rethinking the role of the state

The longer-term challenge for the Labour and Conservative parties is to define a path for the state which both respects markets and acknowledges their shortcomings

Balls’ bid to evade the axe must fail

Ed Balls

The move by the children’s secretary has some narrow political merit, but the Treasury should not be deflected from deficit reduction

Middle-class cash

Universal benefits could be frozen when times are hard. Putting them on a less generous basis does not detract from their intrinsic value: they have a role even in a straitened welfare system

Britain faces Conservative cuts vs Labour, erm, cuts

If he is elected, David Cameron will need to find cuts equivalent to scrapping all spending on the police, foreign office, transport and six more departments – just to match Labour’s secret plans, writes George Parker

The unkindest cuts

At the current rate, Armageddon, financial or otherwise, will arrive before Britain’s two main parties have decided where the blade will fall

Brownian motion

Sensibly, if slowly, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister, is moving to a position that accepts cuts but distinguishes them from the Conservatives in timing and scope

Coyness trumps candour in spending debate

For all the gusto with which David Cameron promises to swing the axe, he is decidedly cagey as to where the blade will fall, writes Philip Stephens

Choice cuts

UK politics: With the dire state of Britain’s finances set to define next year’s general election, government and opposition are competing to portray themselves as the better axe-wielder

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