Osborne faces £20bn black hole in UK public finances, says report
Austerity may last until 2020 and chancellor may have to make further cuts to welfare, local government and police, claims FT
George Osborne is facing a £20bn black hole in the public finances, which means that austerity may have to continue until 2020, according to research by the Financial Times.
In a blow to the chancellor, who hopes to run a budget surplus in the next parliament, the research suggests that austerity may have to last a year longer than expected because the government will not be able to rely on economic recovery to eliminate part of the deficit.
All that suffering, because Osborne prefers sadism to economic growth.