BudgetWatch - an 'unavoidable' budget to rebalance the British economy

And so the much vaunted Emergency Budget has been delivered...

Working on the premise that the Con-Lib coalition government is currently in a position of maximum authority - and expecting darker days ahead - Chancellor George Osborne, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander, and their masters David Cameron and Nick Clegg, have nailed their colours firmly to the mast of austerity today, with possible sunshine tomorrow (or, rather, in about three years' time).

This budget cuts deeper and faster than anything I can remember in my life time (admittedly, I'm not that old!); and the Con-Libs are betting the electoral house on the fact that the measures will work relatively quickly, cutting out waste and spurring on growth. And that there may be something to give back to voters - by way of tax cuts and spending increases - a year or two before the next general election, pencilled in for May 2015. For more on the budget measures, please see the B2L Public Affairs briefing paper...

Politics of the budget

The politics of all this is fascinating. Labour, currently led by a feisty Harriet Harman (soon to be succeeded by a new leader in September this year), will seek to exploit the discomfort of Lib Dem MPs - both front and back bench - who frankly never signed up for such public sector cuts and drastic, 'unprogressive', tax rises. Harman et al will be looking to drive a wedge between the Lib Dem leadership and its MPs as a way of weakening the coalition. The Conservatives meanwhile will support the tough measures - Conservative governments are used to putting up VAT upon assuming power - though there will be unease about some of the movement on increased Capital Gains Tax. However, Chancellor Osborne and his team have probably done just about enough to appease the John Redwoods of the party in settling for a lower rate than was expected.

And so on to the next political milestones: the autumn party conferences, and then that Comprehensive Spending Review on 10 October, when we will find out just how the 25% cuts in government departmental budgets will fall (save Health and International Development, which are both ring-fenced). Taken together with the forthcoming Labour leadership hustings/election in September, it certainly is an interesting time for anyone with an interest in UK politics...