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Scottish Tory conference: Francis Maude pledges to continue cutting deficit Scottish Tory conference: Francis Maude says party 'won't duck deficit plans'
(about 17 hours later)
The Conservative Party will continue cutting Britain's spending deficit, its Scottish members are to be told. The Conservative Party will not duck its deficit reduction plans and will continue to cut public spending, UK minister Francis Maude has pledged.
UK cabinet office minister Francis Maude will make the pledge during a speech in Edinburgh later. The commitment came during his speech to the Scottish Tory conference.
He will tell the Scottish Conservative Party conference that a Labour government threatened to undo that. He told the Edinburgh gathering that squeezed public resources would be targeted at those who "need it most".
The Tories, who are currently in a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, will fight the UK General Election in May 2015.The Tories, who are currently in a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, will fight the UK General Election in May 2015.
Mr Maude will say the Westminster administration has been working to get the economy back on track by cutting billions off the public spending deficit. UK cabinet office minister, Mr Maude, said his party had a long-term economic plan to cut the deficit and "get the whole of Britain back on the rise".
He is expected to tell delegates that even more savings are to be announced. He told the conference that in the first 10 months of government, there were "unprecedented savings of £3.75bn - enough to pay 200,000 junior nurses".
The Conservative politician will argue his party's approach is in stark contrast to what Labour would do if they won at the polls in just over a year's time. Mr Maude added that in 2011-12 there was a further "£5.5bn - the cost of around 1.6 million primary school places".
Mr Maude will tell the conference that, in its first 10 months, the UK government saved £3.75bn. The politician said: "We've only just started. I look forward to announcing even bigger savings later in the summer for this financial year.
He will add: "I look forward to announcing even bigger savings later in the summer for this financial year. "By the end of this parliament we want to be saving about £20bn a year, with another £5bn the year after."
"Just think how much better we'd be placed in the global race if, when Ed Miliband was in my job, he'd done some of this. He went on: "We need to take the right decisions to ensure that Britain keeps its place in the world, we need to take long-term decisions in the interest of the whole country.
"If instead of plotting with his alter ego Ed Balls to knife, first, Tony Blair, and then his own brother, he'd bother to start cutting the waste. "So, we won't duck our deficit plans - but we will ensure squeezed public resources are targeted at the people who need it most. That's important for the security and peace of mind of all of us."
"If instead of pandering to Labour's union paymasters he'd driven up public sector productivity. Mr Maude said that Labour in government spent money like it was "going out out of fashion".
"That's real Labour. The same old Labour. Think what you'd get if Labour got back into Whitehall." Clear choice
He believed that the Tories in government had a clear choice, either to make "indiscriminate cuts to the front line services" or to "cut the costs of government, clamp down on waste and investing in growth".
The Scottish Conservative conference was opened on Friday by Prime Minister David Cameron.The Scottish Conservative conference was opened on Friday by Prime Minister David Cameron.
He told the gathering that Scottish independence would tear apart the UK "family of nations".He told the gathering that Scottish independence would tear apart the UK "family of nations".
Voters in Scotland go to the polls on 18 September when they will be asked the "yes/no" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"Voters in Scotland go to the polls on 18 September when they will be asked the "yes/no" question: "Should Scotland be an independent country?"