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| George Osborne says he’s started Tory cuts because it will make the next ones 'smoother' | George Osborne says he’s started Tory cuts because it will make the next ones 'smoother' |
| (7 months later) | |
| Conservative spending cuts have already begun, George Osborne has said as he told unprotected Whitehall departments to start cutting back now to make the next five years of austerity "smoother". | Conservative spending cuts have already begun, George Osborne has said as he told unprotected Whitehall departments to start cutting back now to make the next five years of austerity "smoother". |
| The Chancellor has pledged to eliminate the UK's budget deficit by 2018 and to turn it into a surplus the following year. But with the deficit forecast to be £75 billion in 2015/16, Mr Osborne faces a difficult challenge and he has wasted no time in wielding the axe, even though the budgets for this year have already been outlined. | The Chancellor has pledged to eliminate the UK's budget deficit by 2018 and to turn it into a surplus the following year. But with the deficit forecast to be £75 billion in 2015/16, Mr Osborne faces a difficult challenge and he has wasted no time in wielding the axe, even though the budgets for this year have already been outlined. |
| "When it comes to saving money, we all know that the more you can do early, the smoother the ride," he told the Confederation of British Industry last night. | "When it comes to saving money, we all know that the more you can do early, the smoother the ride," he told the Confederation of British Industry last night. |
| “And without fixing the public finances so our country lives within its means, there can be no economic security for businesses or working people.” | “And without fixing the public finances so our country lives within its means, there can be no economic security for businesses or working people.” |
| But the road ahead is anything but 'smooth' for those waiting to hear how Mr Osborne will find £12 billion of welfare cuts and an additional £13 billion in budget cuts from unprotected departments such as transport, defence, justice and the home office. | But the road ahead is anything but 'smooth' for those waiting to hear how Mr Osborne will find £12 billion of welfare cuts and an additional £13 billion in budget cuts from unprotected departments such as transport, defence, justice and the home office. |
| Mr Osborne plans to save another £5 billion from cracking down on tax avoidance, while he wants to make a profit from publicly-owned assets by selling off shares in Lloyds and Eurostar and has created a government-owned company, UK Government Investments (UKGI), to oversee the sale. | Mr Osborne plans to save another £5 billion from cracking down on tax avoidance, while he wants to make a profit from publicly-owned assets by selling off shares in Lloyds and Eurostar and has created a government-owned company, UK Government Investments (UKGI), to oversee the sale. |
| Wins a big promotion after increasing her majority in Hastings and Rye despite once describing her constituency as a “bit depressing”. The former banker and financial journalist is considered a moderate Eurosceptic | |
| Former party press officer and now the Witham MP is rewarded for her forceful performances during the election campaign. She is on the right of the party and a Eurosceptic. Ms Patel has called for the return of hanging | |
| Having never been a minister in his 23 years as an MP John Whittingdale’s elevation to the Cabinet is meteoric. But his appointment sends a message to Tory backbenchers that preferment is possible even for those who may have given up hope (and be tempted to rebel) | |
| Getty | |
| Not long ago the former defence minister feared she would not even be an MP but now she has a key role in the Department for Business and the right to attend Cabinet | |
| Rising star tipped as Britain’s first prime minister from an ethnic minority. Son of a bus driver, he grew up in two-bedroom flat in Bristol. After university he joined Deutsche Bank. Parliamentary aide to George Osborne before becoming Treasury minister and Culture Secretary | |
| Thoughtful moderniser who grew up in Middlesbrough where his father and grandfather were milkmen. Was a special adviser before entering Parliament in 2005. In previous ministerial posts he drew up plans to devolve powers to cities | |
| A former aide to George Osborne before becoming an MP in 2010 election. Hancock has had a meteoric ministerial rise |