That's how I felt when I heard that the budget due in two weeks was not going to be a "big give-away". The news came from no less an authority than the chancellor himself - speaking tonight to my BBC colleague Hugh Pym. Given that the government is legally committed to making £57,000,000,000 worth of tax rises and spending cuts to deal with Britain's budget deficit, only the econom...

Chancellor Alistair Darling warns not to expect a "giveaway" when the Budget is delivered later this month.

The City’s elopement with New Labour has ended violently. A poll of leading financiers, conducted by City AM, reveals that 73 percent think that a Tory majority would be best for the economy; a mere 10 percent support Labour. But the City has little enthusiasm for George Osborne: 23 percent neleiev he has the mettle to be Chancellor, 13 percent behind Ken Clarke. So where is it going wrong f...

Prime Minister describes claims that he starved the armed forces of funds when he was Chancellor as "wrong" and inappropriate.

Prime Minister describes claims that he starved the armed forces of funds when he was Chancellor as "wrong" and inappropriate.

Gordon Brown and David Cameron clashed angrily over the funding of the Afghanistan war today with the Conservative leader accusing Mr Brown of failing to accurately assess how costly the conflict would be while he was Chancellor.

The FT reports that German Bundesbank President Axel Weber has said that proposals, announced by the German Finance Ministry and backed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, for the creation of a European Monetary Fund (EMF) are “not helpful” and are “a sideshow that will distract from the necessary consolidation” of budget deficits in struggling countries such as Greece.

The European commission announced moves today to shore up the euro and ward off market pressure on Greece by considering a ban on complex derivatives allegedly being used to undermine the single currency. The draconian move suggested by José Manuel Barroso, commission president, follows a joint campaign by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the French

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has backed plans for an IMF-style European Monetary Fund to bailout struggling countries, but warned that establishing such a fund would require EU treaty change and the agreement of all 27 member states. “I find the idea good and interesting”, Merkel said, according to EUobserver.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave her backing on Monday (8 March) to a proposed European Monetary Fund to rescue ailing eurozone member countries but warned this would mean changing the European Union treaty.