George Osborne is said to have stated his Budget ahead of last year's general election would only really help "stupid, affluent and lazy people", according to a memoir by a minister of the Coalition Government.

In a book by the former Schools minister David Laws, serialised by the Daily Mail, David Cameron's apparent views of his Tory colleagues are revealed as well as a series of startling admissions by senior members of the Government.

Mr Cameron apparently describes Michael Gove as "nuts" and a "Maoist"; he is also "petrified" of Boris Johnson who he says is after his job.

The Prime Minister apparently also stated that "mad" right-wing Tory MPs and the rise of Ukip had foisted the EU referendum on him.

And Mr Laws also claims that the Chancellor made an admission about his own Budget a couple of months before the general election in 2015.

He writes: "At the same lunch when Nick said meeting the Chancellor’s financial targets meant £33 billion more of fiscal tightening, not £25 billion as Osborne claimed, the Chancellor’s extraordinary response was: ‘£25 billion and £33 billion are pretty similar. We can just fudge that a bit.’

"Osborne admitted it wasn’t well targeted. ‘It will only really be of help to stupid, affluent and lazy people, who can’t be bothered to put their savings away into tax-efficient vehicles! But it will still be very popular – we have polled it."

What has the EU ever done for us? Show all 7 1 /7 What has the EU ever done for us? What has the EU ever done for us? 1. It gives you freedom to live, work and retire anywhere in Europe As a member of the EU, UK citizens benefit from freedom of movement across the continent. Considered one of the so-called four pillars of the European Union, this freedom allows all EU citizens to live, work and travel in other member states. What has the EU ever done for us? 2. It sustains millions of jobs A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, released in October 2015, suggested 3.1 million British jobs were linked to the UK’s exports to the EU. What has the EU ever done for us? 3. Your holiday is much easier - and safer Freedom to travel is one of the most exercised benefits of EU membership, with Britons having made 31 million visits to the EU in 2014 alone. But a lot of the benefits of being an EU citizen are either taken for granted or go unnoticed. What has the EU ever done for us? 4. It means you're less likely to get ripped off Consumer protection is a key benefit of the EU’s single market, and ensures members of the British public receive equal consumer rights when shopping anywhere in Europe. What has the EU ever done for us? 5. It offers greater protection from terrorists, paedophiles, people traffickers and cyber-crime Another example of a lesser-known advantage of EU membership is the benefit of cross-country coordination and cooperation in the fight against crime. What has the EU ever done for us? 6. Our businesses depend on it According to 71% of all members of the Confederation of British Influence (CBI), and 67 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the EU has had an overall positive impact on their business. What has the EU ever done for us? 7. We have greater influence Robin Niblett, Director of think-tank Chatham House, stated in a report published last year: “For a mid-sized country like the UK, which will never again be economically dominant either globally or regionally, and whose diplomatic and military resources are declining in relative terms, being a major player in a strong regional institution can offer a critical lever for international influence.

When writing the book, Mr Laws was allegedly allowed open access to the private papers, notes and diaries of his close ally Nick Clegg.

In addition to exposing the rift between the Prime Minister and Eurosceptic rebels within the Tory party, The Explosive Inside Story of the Coalition also reports that Mr Clegg said Osborne and Cameron were "desperate for power" and would "sell their mothers to stay in Downing Street."

The book claims that in a later conversation, Mr Cameron admitted to Mr Clegg that he felt Boris Johnson was "clearly after [his] job". It asserts that the apparent comments came at a time when the Mayor of London was making headlines, being interviewed for a Mail on Sunday story entitled "I'll crush the strikers': Boris Johnson steals Cameron's thunder with plan to beat union militants".

In that interview, Mr Johnson dismissed claims he was trying to unseat Mr Cameron as "twaddle". But if Mr Laws' memoir is to be believed, the PM did not feel the same way.

Mr Cameron also crossed paths with Justice Secretary Michael Gove. Following a string of well-publicised spats, he reportedly told Mr Clegg: "Michael does seem to have gone a bit nuts recently... I am being driven around the bend by Michael right now. We know he isn’t very popular in the country."

"He is a Maoist," Mr Cameron said of Mr Gove in a separate conversation. "He believes that the world makes process through a process of creative destruction."