No giveaways in budget, says UK’s Osborne

UK chancellor George Osborne said the budget on Wednesday will offer no giveaways and difficult decisions will still have to be made, as he seeks to drum up support for his Conservative Party before May’s election.

“This budget is all about securing a truly national recovery”, Osborne told the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme yesterday. “No giveaways, no gimmicks, a budget for the long term.”

Osborne will use his final budget before the May 7 vote to try to convince voters the Tories are best placed to run Britain’s economy, while rebuffing accusations from the Labour opposition, led by Ed Miliband, that his party only privileges the wealthiest. With polls showing the Tories and Labour neck and neck, and both short of enough seats to gain a majority in the House of Commons, speculation about possible coalition deals is mounting.