George Osborne: Danny Alexander wrote £8billion cuts report himself
George Osborne looks round at Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander
George Osborne has said that the Lib Dem claims that the Conservatives were planning to slash child benefit as part of future cuts was actually part of a report commissioned by the Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander himself.
Mr Osborne speaking to the BBC London from an event a Croydon, said: This is a three-year-old document of policy options that was commissioned by the Chief Secretary himself. We haven’t put into practice any of these options, we don’t support them. We didn’t support them then and we don’t support them in the future.
Commentators are split over Mr Alexanders choice to leak the document. Some say that it is part of a Liberal Democrat strategy to ensure that much of the £12 billion of planned welfare cuts would be ditched as part of a new deal with the Lib Dems.
Others are confused that the Lib Dem would leak it now, when he may have to rely on friendly Tories lending him their vote in Inverness to keep him in and the SNP candidate out.
He’s won over one person though: