Boris Johnson says Osborne is right to cut but spending needs to be more focused on housing and infrastructure

Comments

[Lindsay Jenkins]

Good for Boris: spot on. He is too kind to Osborne but that's politics.

[It doesn't add up...]

Capital spending only makes sense when it delivers a return. Value destroying infrastructure projects such as HS2 and windmills are no panacea. There is no good reason for government to spend on housing while it continues to prop up house prices: it already is providing subsidies worth of the order of £100bn p.a. between artificial mortgage market conditions, Housing Landlord benefit and the like.

[Paul Marks]

Government spending has NOT been cut.

Even in terms of a proportion of the economy (let alone in money terms) British government spending was 49% of the economy last year, much more that it was before the crises started in 2007-8.

By the way - as recently as 2000 British government spending was 36% of GDP.

This nonsense in the media about the slashing of government spending in Britain is insane.

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"spending needs to be focussed on housing and infrastructure"

That would require actually building things.

[Paul Harris]

So he's a lefty then. I thought so, especially since he started off life in an EU brainwashing institution.

[RutlandReliable]

S106 and CIL are barriers to house building and should be urgently reviewed before Localism turns them into even bigger barriers to growth

[Sophie Ross-Moldeveanu]

Sheeesh! Politicians... they can really come up with the weirdest idea! I hope they can fulfill this...

[Margaux Dodgery]

I'd say, let us trust this guy and give him a second chance, and if he made a mess again... Off with his head!

[Marvin]

Did this person actually know what he said or did he just copy what other politicians were promising? At my age, I heard those litanies a thousand times and I tell you, it gets weirder and weirder.