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IFS: Electorate 'left in the dark' by political parties

None of the top political parties has provided "anything like full details" on plans to cut the deficit in the next Parliament, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has said.

The IFS said the electorate had been left "somewhat in the dark" over the size and scale of cuts planned by the Tories, Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP.

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IFS: Electorate 'in the dark' over size and scale of cuts

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said the electorate had been left "somewhat in the dark" over the size and scale of cuts planned by the Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and SNP.

The think-tank made a detailed study of the party manifestos ahead of the general election on 7th May.

There are genuinely big differences between the main parties' fiscal plans.

The electorate has a real choice, although it can at best see only the broad outlines of that choice.

Conservative plans involve a significantly larger reduction in borrowing and debt than Labour plans.

But they are predicated on substantial and almost entirely unspecified spending cuts and tax increases.

While Labour has been considerably less clear about its overall fiscal ambition, its stated position appears to be consistent with little in the way of further spending cuts after this year.

– Carl Emmerson, IFS deputy director
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IFS: Electorate 'left in the dark' by political parties

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