Richards with a word of warning for Cameron and Osborne

Steve Richards has not wasted much time in attacking the change of policy by the Tories.

In his Indy column this morning he writes that

The politics of the recession claims another policy, this time a big one. In announcing that the Conservatives will no longer stick with the Government's planned spending levels, David Cameron makes a move he was once determined to avoid.

As I wrote yesterday this is a risky move by the party and flies in the face of public opinion or at least the perceived public opinion

The Tories had lost two elections on that basis.

he notes

and adds that

Will such slogans work again? They might do. An apparently long-lasting tax cut has more attractions than a temporary one and gives Cameron space to argue that the Government is borrowing recklessly. But there are big risks for the Tories. Most non-partisan economists recognise the case for higher borrowing to pay for a fiscal stimulus. The Conservatives are virtually on their own in claiming spending cuts are an immediate answer. The Liberal Democrats are being more candid and progressive in arguing that taxes on high earners should rise to pay for some of their proposals.