Budget 2008: Darling defends ‘dull’ Budget
Alistair Darling has defended his ‘boring’ Budget, insisting it will build a “strong, sustainable future”.
Alongside the oft-mentioned claim of “stability”, the chancellor said the Budget was also delivering “opportunity”, with the government still vulnerable to accusations of a lack of vision.
Mr Darling’s Budget has been widely received as lacking in flair, with David Cameron saying it was delivered with “the excitement of someone reading out a telephone directory”.
The opposition benches claimed the economic downturn has left him with little room for radical spending plans or tax cuts.
Shadow chancellor George Osborne said: “Gordon Brown had ten years of global economic growth to prepare us for this moment, but thanks to his economic incompetence, there is no room for manoeuvre.”
In an email to Labour supporters, Mr Darling said economic stability would “always be Labour’s first priority” and he had delivered a “responsible” Budget in the face of uncertainty.
And he maintained it was still tackling the two “big issues” of the time, namely child poverty and climate change.
The causes of the economic slowdown remain hotly debated, with the Conservatives blaming Gordon Brown’s handling of the economy and the government keen to divert blame to the US subprime market.
Mr Darling continued: “The global slowdown means we face uncertain economic times.
“The turbulence in the American mortgage market has touched economies all over the world – including ours.”
Mr Darling maintained Britain was “better placed” than other countries to deal with this and insisted the UK economy is resilient and will continue to grow.
However, the Conservatives branded it a “bad news Budget that kicks families when they’re down”.
Shadow secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond said the chancellor had no room to manoeuvre, with the government unlikely to repeat its successful handling of the economy in the wake of the dot com crash.
Liberal Democrat economic affairs spokesman Vince Cable agreed Mr Darling had “very little alternative” but to run a “neutral Budget”.
