Tories criticise Labour economic policy

News Article - 14 April 2008
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The Conservative party shadow chancellor will hit out at Labour management of the economy during a high profile speech today, criticising prime minister Gordon Brown for his actions as chancellor.

George Osborne will address the Policy Exchange thinktank, blaming Mr Brown for current economic uncertainty and calling for better handling of the national finances.

A recent poll by the Financial Times/Harris indicated that over two-thirds (68 per cent) of voters are not confident in the abilities of the Labour government to handle the current credit crisis.

Mr Osborne will pledge during his speech that a Tory government would give Britain greater economic stability and challenge claims that Mr Brown has been one of the steadiest chancellors in history.

"Gordon Brown rested his claim to competence on three pillars - stability, prudence and competitiveness," he will declare.

"Instead, after a decade of worldwide growth, we have ended up with housing boom followed by bust, spending followed by debt, and a country finding it more and more difficult to compete."

Current chancellor Alistair Darling has called on mortgage lenders in Britain to pass on recent interest rate cuts to borrowers after the Bank of England provided £15 billion to help markets weather the current credit crunch.

As the effects of the US subprime lending crisis continue to affect the UK economy, online accounting software can provide businesses with an invaluable way of monitoring productivity, checking business health and streamlining processes.

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