When the UK goes to the polls on 6 May the state of public finances will undoubtedly be a prominent issue. The Election promises to be one of the most exciting and closely contested for the last 20 years and with economic uncertainty at levels not seen for over 70 years the decision as to who will lead us through the recovery is a critical one.
Top of the agenda is tackling the budget deficit which currently stands at £167 billion. Here at least the parties are in agreement with general consensus that the deficit must be reduced to create economic stability and maintain the UK's triple-A credit rating. And there is acknowledgement that 'tough choices' will be necessary in order to do this. But so far there has been a lack of clarity around how any party might achieve this....