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Labour renews push for watchdog to audit manifesto claims Labour renews push for watchdog to audit manifesto claims
(about 5 hours later)
Spending watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility should have its powers enhanced so it can examine parties' tax and spending commitments ahead of the general election, Labour has said. Labour is to challenge Chancellor George Osborne to support the independent costing of major political parties' spending commitments.
Shadow chancellor Ed Balls renewed the party's push for the shift in remit in an article for the PoliticsHome website, ahead of a Commons vote. Shadow chancellor Ed Balls says allowing spending watchdog the Office for Budget Responsibility to review their manifesto claims would reassure the public their "sums add up".
Labour argues that the move would ensure a "more informed debate". He says he needs cross-party agreement to take the measure further, stressing that Labour has "nothing to hide".
But Chancellor George Osborne is opposed to the idea. But Mr Osborne is opposed to the idea.
He has insisted that the OBR was set up in 2010 specifically to provide growth and borrowing forecasts and assess the impact of government policies on its own fiscal targets.He has insisted that the OBR was set up in 2010 specifically to provide growth and borrowing forecasts and assess the impact of government policies on its own fiscal targets.
OBR boss Robert Chote has said the move could benefit policy-making but warned against rushing the process and said it might be better to wait until the 2020 poll. Sceptical public
"Putting it bluntly, if Parliament wished us to play this role in the 2015 election, we would need a clear steer in the very near future to have any hope of putting the necessary practical arrangements in place in time to deliver a smooth process," he told MPs. OBR boss Robert Chote has said the move could benefit policy-making but suggested it might be better to wait until the 2020 general election campaign.
Mr Balls said it was the "right time" to make the change. "Putting it bluntly, if Parliament wished us to play this role in the 2015 election, we would need a clear steer in the very near future to have any hope of putting the necessary practical arrangements in place in time to deliver a smooth process," he told MPs in March.
"Over the last four years the Office for Budget Responsibility has become an established part of the framework of British economic policy with broad-based and cross-party support," he said. But Mr Balls, who will be pushing the plan in a debate and vote in the Commons on Wednesday, insisted that if cross-party agreement could be reached now, the details and legislation could be worked out over the summer.
"I want that tough, rigorous and independent scrutiny for Labour's election manifesto and I believe the Tories and Lib Dems should be willing to subject their manifestos to such an audit too. "It's important that people see that our sums add up - that every commitment we make has been properly costed," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"In tough times it's even more important that the policies of all the parties are properly costed and funded. People rightly want to know that the sums add up." "I want that independent certification from the OBR - I want that to be available to all the political parties.
Labour is planning to lead a Commons debate on the subject later on Wednesday, and is expected to force a vote on the plans at the end of the debate. "I know that the public is sceptical about politics at the moment - clearly all parties have difficulties here."
The Lib Dems have said the idea of letting the OBR do the same for opposition parties has merit but is unlikely to be viable in time for next year's general election. Work together?
Mr Balls said he had spent months trying to get Mr Osborne engaged because without cross-party agreement the measure could not go ahead.
The checks would be available to all parties that had at least 5% representation in the House of Commons, he said.
"The only person who has accused me of making uncosted spending commitments is the chancellor, who now seems to be the one person who doesn't want Labour's manifesto to be independently audited," he told Today.
"Why? Because his charges against me don't add up or he has something to hide about his own approach to his manifesto.
"In a totally cross-party spirit, I've said, 'Let's do this together.'"
The Lib Dems have said the idea of letting the OBR cost opposition parties' spending commitments has merit but is unlikely to be viable in time for next year's general election.