Chancellor's vow to scrutinise each pound rings hollow

IF Michael Howard's Conservatives had won the 2005 general general election, might Britain be in a better state today? Making his bid to become prime minister, Mr Howard promised to slash government spending by £35billion, abolish 168 public bodies, ditch 235,000 civil service jobs and cut taxes by £4billion.

- Esther Krakue

The Tories lost that election to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, who went on another debtfuelled spending spree. By the time the Conservatives returned to power in 2010, Mr Howard's plans had not only been shelved but forgotten completely.

Rachel Reeves is hardly Howard's heir. She is the latest in a long line of politicians who bleat about wasteful spending and (almost certainly, although it remains to be seen) deliver nothing. Her predecessors, both Labour and Tory, have turned Whitehall into Leviathan, with relative spending at levels not seen since the Napoleonic Wars.

But 200 years ago that spending was at least disbursed in defence of the realm. Today it's frittered away on adult cycling lessons, pride parades and cosy hotel accommodation for illegal immigrants. Slash this waste and Britain might have a chance of getting back on track. But Ms Reeves' promises to "totally rewire how the Government spends money" and "scrutinise every pound" ring hollow.

FOR one thing, the Chancellor probably isn't even the right person for the job. After all, we're still unclear whether she was an economist or a customer sales rep. We're also unclear whose side she is on.