George Osborne will give a job lift for spies in £1.5bn security fund
BRITAIN will “substantially” increase the number of spies to foil terror plots, George Osborne announced yesterday.
Britain will increase number of spies to foil terror plots
Details will be spelt out later this month, following his announcement in July that he was protecting spending on counterterrorism and intelligence agencies, and setting up a £1.5billion joint security fund.
In London yesterday, the Chancellor said claims the Russian airline which crashed recently in Egypt was probably downed by a bomb supported the case for boosting MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.
But Mr Osborne also insisted that other parts of Government must slash their running costs to get the budget into surplus by 2019-20.
10 things you didn't know about George Osborne
The Chancellor will publish details of the plan later this month
I intend to issue new guidance sending a clear signal to public-sector employers
Two weeks before he unveils details of his spending review, he insisted talks with colleagues were going well, despite bitter rows reported with Iain Duncan Smith.
The Work and Pensions Secretary is said to be fighting Mr Osborne’s calls to make universal credit £2billion less generous.
Four departments have provisionally agreed to cut spending by eight per cent a year, a total of around 30 per cent, by 2020.
They are Transport, Environment, Local Government and the Treasury.
Overseas aid, health, schools and defence are immune as well as infrastructure investment.
Mr Osborne also pledged to rein in “unacceptable” lavish pay and perks in the public sector after research showed more than 3,000 council employees and 50,000 NHS staff earn more than £100,000 a year.
GCHQ will be boosted by the increase in spies
Nearly 540 council chiefs earned more than the Prime Minister in 2013-14.
The Chancellor said: “I intend to issue new guidance sending a clear signal to public-sector employers.”
The downed Russian plane is one of the big motivators for this cash injection
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell accused Mr Osborne of cutting public services, investment and support for the poor while giving tax breaks to the rich.
Changes to how funds are allocated to the police will be delayed after the Government admitted a “statistical error” was made when calculating controversial reforms.