budget

George Osborne has asked Whitehall departments to make a further £2.5bn of cuts, as he prepares to present a gloomy Budget 2013 later today.

CRYSTAL BALL

Chancellor George Osborne is to tell the electorate this week that his debt plans are in ruins, with the deadline for bringing UK debt down pushed back by many years.

Chancellor George Osborne's Budget next week runs the risk of being a "dangerous missed opportunity" if he sticks to his guns on austerity, leading economist Roger Bootle (pictured) has said.

Senior backbench MPs are being lobbied to set up a powerful US-style committee that would scrutinise the public finances as a whole and try to head off major fiscal disasters.

GOSLING'S GROUSE

The Spanish government has announced €40bn in spending cuts and budget savings in its latest attempt to turnaround the country's struggling economy.

George Osborne will deliver his annual Autumn Statement on 5 December.

BUDGET-LITE

Investment Week today brings you LIVE coverage of all the measures in what some observers are dubbing a "Budget for the rich".