Labour MP for Chesterfield, Toby Perkins, has today warned that ordinary hard working families in Chesterfield will bear the brunt of the of the Budget cuts announced by Chancellor George Osborne with the help of the Liberal Democrats. The Coalition Government has scrapped Labour’s plans to reduce the budget deficit responsibly, instead choosing to slash much needed government spending initiatives deeper and sooner.

 Today’s budget which saw a two and a half percent rise in VAT, and cuts to child benefit and wages is based on a Conservative ideology and  highlights the differences between this Tory/ Lib Dem government and Labour’s approach which was slowly moving the country back into growth.

 Labour had planned to spread the burden of deficit reduction fairly, raising half of all taxes from the top 5 per cent of earners, and in fact the new office for Budget Responsibility confirmed the accuracy of Labour’s pre-election forecasts.

 Mr Perkins said:

 “Today we saw the true colours of George Osborne, David Cameron and the Tory/Liberal government. This is a budget that will hit growth and pull the rug out from under the recovery. This Tory government has outlined its plans to savagely cut government spending immediately in almost every area of society and it will have a devastating impact on millions of people.

David Cameron has broken his election promise when he said he had no plans to raise VAT. The Liberal Democrat support of it is even more shameful as it so blatantly contradicts the promises they made during the election.”