Is middle England ready for cuts?
Ken Clarke has been warning the middle classes are unaware of the scale of spending cuts that will hit them this year, prompting calls from some Tory quarters for him to quit.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has warned that the coalition is about to face some “political difficulty” as the public begin to become aware of just how hard the cuts are going to hit them.
Mr Clarke described the current economic situation as “calamitous” and said there was no quick way out.
“One reason we’re going to get some political difficulty is that (while) the public knows we’ve got to do something about it, I don’t think Middle England has quite taken on board the scale of the problem,” he said.
“That will emerge as the cuts start coming home this year. We’ve got to get on with it (but) it’s going to be very difficult. If someone says it’s not as bad as all that, I say (they) just don’t realise the calamitous position we’re in.
“We’re in for a long haul to get back to normality. There are so many uncertainties internationally, and I do not see a quick rebound.”
Mr Clarke gloomy assessment is likely to set off alarm bells among both Conservatives and Liberal Democrats in the coalition as local government and Scottish and Welsh assembly elections loom in May.
There have been fears of a double dip recession following surprise figures that the economy was shrinking at the end of 2010.
The Labour party have said that Mr Clarke’s comments underlined the need for the Government to change its economic strategy.
Angela Eagle, the shadow treasury chief secretary, said this showed that the economy has now stalled and called for David Cameron and George Osborne to “wake up” and realise their plan isn’t working.
“They need a plan B that puts jobs and growth first and they need it quick.”