Osborne: 2014 budget will continue with austerity
The budget, due to be announced on March 19, will continue along the lines of austerity despite the recent upswing in the UK economy, the Chancellor has said.
Osborne signals more cuts in next month's budget
The Chancellor has given the strongest suggestion yet he will continue with cuts, despite the recent positive economic growth.
In a speech to business leaders in Hong Kong, George Osborne said he has no intention of deviating from his "plan A" for the economy and will be sticking to the austerity programme he began in 2010.
Mr Osborne said it would be a "huge mistake" to "abandon" the austerity programme and said the UK would continue to deal with both "our debt and our deficit".
His comments follow a sharp upgrade to UK growth forecasts from the Bank of England last week, which predicts growth of 3.4% this year, up from 2.8% previously.
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