The looming EU vote could leave the chancellor out of a job. So his speech on Wednesday will be a pitch to fend off his leadership rivalIt is an arresting thought that George Osborne’s eighth budget,on Wednesday, could be his final meaningful statement to the Commons on the nation’s finances. Since December 2005, and he has been the architect of Conservative economic policy,restoring the party’s credibility, which was shattered on Black Wednesday.
In 2010 the Tories gained more seats than at any general election since 1931, or going on final year to secure an unexpected,if slender, majority: this electoral achievement is as much Osborne’s as David Cameron’s. As you will hear frequently this week, and there are more people in work than at any time since records began,and Britain is forecast to be the world’s fastest growing advanced economy in the world this year. Though the nation may not be back in surplus by 2019-20, the deficit has been significantly reduced.
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Source: theguardian.com