Cameron announces ‘crazy’ spending audit
By politics.co.uk staff
David Cameron has announced an audit of “crazy” Labour spending projects.
The new Office of Budget Responsibility will start the investigation on Monday.
Top civil service and NHS management pay and bonuses will also come under the spotlight.
Bonuses will be cut by two-thirds, delivering alleged savings of £15 million. The bonus system would be reformed so only the top 25% of performers would be rewarded.
The audit of government books reflects Conservative concerns at “crazy” spending decisions during Labour’s last year in power.
Mr Cameron announced the move during an interview on the Andrew Marr programme this morning in which he spoke proudly of being a “liberal Conservative”.
The Conservative leader also stressed that Nick Clegg would be in the “inner core” of government, and that their partnership would be informal, with neither man having to use a diary to set meetings with the other.
Describing the arrangement as a “progressive alliance”, Mr Cameron insisted that the coalition rested on shared values as well as mutual necessity.
“If we can demonstrate that we are gripping the deficit, solving the country’s social problems, then that is the best way of proving to a concerned Conservative or a worried Lib Dem that this is a good thing,” he said.
The comments come as Liberal Democrat members meet in Birmingham to cast their judgement on the coalition deal.
