‘George Osborne is demanding a round of last-minute spending cuts from Whitehall departments to fund more than £2bn of giveaways in his Autumn Statement on Thursday.
The Chancellor has angered Conservative and Liberal Democrat ministers by asking for emergency savings on the eve of his statement so that he can balance the books. The departments under pressure include the Home Office, Justice, Defence, Business and Work and Pensions.
Mr Osborne’s move has reopened a Cabinet debate over the previous decision to ring-fence the NHS, schools and overseas aid budgets, meaning any extra savings must be found from the non-protected departments that have already suffered cuts announced since 2010.’
Read more: Chancellor demanding more spending cuts from departments to fund Autumn Statement giveaways
