How can you tell if you’re being lied to on budget day? Normally its easy: Gordon Brown’s lips move. But, today, there's a handy guide. You can compare Darling’s fiction with the independent average calculated by HM Treasury. I have pulled out the relevant tables:

A Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman has said the chancellor is making the Budget statement as late as possible in a bid to demonstrate that some of the government's financial crisis measures are working.

The defence secretary will attempt to corral defence chiefs into a united position on the strategic defence review amid growing confidence in the department that he is making headway against the Treasury

Alistair Darling's 2009 budget helped offer voters a clearer choice between Labour and Conservative. The country goes to the polls in less than two months to choose its representatives in the European Parliament. This is usually an opportunity for the electorate to kick the government of the day. On 4 June a more serious electoral challenge looms. Should we the people indulge ourselves and pu...

During these troubled economic times, British politics has become a clear choice between a Labour government willing to work to offer real help to hard working families and business and a Conservative opposition who have isolated themselves from mainstream world opinion by refusing to act. By paying down debt while the economy was growing, the Labour Government can now ease the pain of the credit ...

Fraser Nelson has put together a handy cut-out-and-keep game to jolly up your Pre Budget Report viewing. The Spectator's Guide to Spotting PRB Brownies will allow you to compare Darling's 'fictions' with the independent average calcutated by the Treasury. Fun,...

Earlier, I referred to a Treasury briefing for journalists. This is an event which takes place straight after the Budget for lobby journalists. As it is on the record, we at Coffee House figured we'd release a transcript. It's an historic Budget, this is your money they're talking about and the the Treasury's thinking is crucial. This is from a senior Treasury civil servant, ta...

THE coalition government was accused yesterday of hiding the true impact of its austerity Budget, after a leaked Treasury paper suggested that 1.3 million jobs would be lost a

Stand by for a tax rise. All the signs are that it will be another increase in National Insurance, though no-one in the Treasury will confirm that. It will be presented as necessary to protect spending on schools, hospitals and the police and to preserve spending on government programmes to limit the rises of unemployment and home repossessions. So here's my guide to today's political ba...

today the Commission is launching a short tailored guide to the downturn for small businesses. The guide contains advice on flexible working as an alternative to losing staff and understanding the law around redundancy.