Senior Liberal Democrat makes claim as divisions with former coalition partners during general election campaign deepen

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Danny Alexander has accused David Cameron and George Osborne of “breathtaking hypocrisy” after revealing he was told during budget talks to look after the workers while the Conservatives looked after the bosses.

The Liberal Democrat chief secretary to the Treasury revealed the exchange, said to have occurred during negotiations on the controversial 2012 budget, in an interview with the Independent.

Osborne faced ridicule for what was dubbed the “omnishambles” budget in which he cut the top rate of tax from 50p to 45p and was forced into a series of embarrassing U-turns.

Alexander, who served as Osborne’s deputy for most of the coalition government’s term, said he would not name the “senior” minister who made the remark.

Alexander, who faces an uphill battle to retain his Commons seat of Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said: “In March 2012, when the economy was still in the very early stages of recovery, we wanted to do a very big increase in the personal allowance to put a lot of money back into folk’s pockets. The Tories’ priority at the time was the top rate of tax.

“I remember one meeting with a group of senior Conservatives and one of them – I’m not going to say who – said ‘Listen, you take care of the workers and we’ll take care of the bosses.’

“That was said across the table in one of the meetings where we were discussing the forward policy of the government. That really spelled out where their priorities lay.”

Alexander’s comments represent a further escalation in rhetoric from the Lib Dems toward the Tories.



Alexander last month told Lib Dem activists that he was working against a “heartless” Conservative party as he enforced Liberal Democrat values.