Autumn Statement: George Osborne protects police budget to help safeguard Britain from Paris-style terror attacks
Version 0 of 1. Police numbers have been protected after fears George Osborne would wield the axe as part of a fresh round of spending cuts. In a major surprise, the Chancellor ruled out a cut in the policing budget as he delivered his three-year spending review in the House of Commons. Cuts as high as 20 per cent were reported in the run-up to the Comprehensive Review and Labour were demanding no more than 10 per cent be cut. Instead Mr Osborne said armed officer numbers will be boosted to safeguard Britain from a Paris-style terror attack. It comes after months of simmering tension between officers and the Home Office over possible cuts. The move will see overall spending on police increase by £900m in cash terms by 2019/20, although this also depends on income from local precepts - money raised through council tax by individual forces. Mr Osborne said: “The public should be reassured that the police will have the resources they need to respond to new threats rapidly and effectively to keep people safe." |