This is a Budget for making things - not making things up

摘要

Getting to his feet last Wednesday, the Chancellor of the Exchequer decided that it would be best to get the bad news out of the way first. George Osborne announced that he was reducing his growth forecast - 2011 will see the UK's GDP grow by 1.7% and not 2.1%, while growth for 2012 is now expected to be 2.5% and not 2,6%. The MP for Tatton said this was regrettable, but at least he was "telling it like it is", adding: "This is a Budget for making things - not making things up, Instead of previous Chancellors fixing figures to match the Budget, we now have to fix the Budget to fit the figures!" These words brought raucous cheers from the Conservative benches, even Ken Clarke woke up for a moment (it was not, unfortunately, a good Budget for bookmaker Ladbrokes, which had to pay a five-figure sum to a punter who bet on the Justice Secretary dozing off).