The appalling sum, the equivalent of more than Ł300,000 a minute, will fuel public expectations of punishing rises in VAT and other taxes after the General Election. It takes the total borrowed by the Treasury in the current financial year to a record-b Full Article at Daily Express

Which will audiences enjoy more, George Bush or an impression of Ed Miliband? “Professionally speaking, I want characters to win the election, but sadly we are probably going to lose a generation of people like David Blunkett and John Prescott. “I have... Full Article at Birmingham Post

They don’t seem too shy… Labour being a bit shy over condemning Unite strike. Are they too busy counting the £11m Unite gave to them over the last three years? Difficult call for both parties, Walsh is not someone the Tories want to be close to. Betting Full Article at Political Betting

Although shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, Philip Hammond – who also addressed delegates in Llandudno this weekend – is drawing up plans for spending reduction if the Tories win power, no specific talks have yet taken place on whether the... Full Article at Wales Online

David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: 'The worse-than-expected January figures further emphasise the dangers facing Britain's international credit rating.' 'Dangers': Tory Treasury spokesman Philip Hammond described... Full Article at Daily Mail - UK

Tory Treasury spokesman Philip Hammond said: 'Gordon Brown said that his bank bonus regulation would be the toughest in the world, but instead we're seeing the return of massive bonuses when businesses still can't get access to credit.' Barclays said... Full Article at Daily Mail - UK

Road in Safety (Crisis), is angry a meeting between Cleves School, in Oatlands Avenue, and Surrey County Council bosses has not been organised almost one year after the campaign was started. A meeting scheduled for January had to be postponed due to the... Full Article at Surrey Herald

“This makes it even more important that the government now do what the Institute for Fiscal Studies and almost every independent body say they have so far failed to do: set out a credible plan to deal with our record budget deficit,” said Philip... Full Article at ConservativeHome

Tories were accused last night of planning to slash public spending in Scotland if they win the forthcoming general election. The SNP made the claim as Labour and the Conservatives were at each other’s throats over the economy. Tory shadow chief... Full Article at Press and Journal

Hammond, shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, has only given specific spending cuts of £1.5bn. Photograph: Martin Argles The Tories yesterday continued to soften their plans to tear up Labour spending proposals in 2010-11, as they admitted they had... Full Article at Guardian Unlimited

Hammond, Shadow chief secretary to the treasury, was interviewed on Tuesday's The World Tonight. What did he propose for getting the economy growing again? He said (from around 12:45) that first we must cut the deficit, second, increase credit flow and... Full Article at Guardian Unlimited

The Tories said the soaring inflation rate raised fresh questions about the Government’s colossal debt crisis. Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond said: “These inflation figures emphasise the difficulty of the task facing the Bank of... Full Article at ConservativeHome

The marriage tax allowance — one of the first promises made by the Conservative leader, and which was reaffirmed before Christmas — is now likely only to apply to married couples with children. Philip Hammond, the Shadow Chief Secretary to the... Full Article at Times Online

I am writing to say that my colleagues, George Osborne, Francis Maude, Philip Hammond, Nick Hurd and I would very much welcome a high-level summit on these issues – which we regard as central to the delivery of more for less in public services and,... Full Article at Guardian Unlimited

But now that the date for the presentation of the report RTÉ commissioned from composer and arts advisor Philip Hammond draws near, music-lovers all over the country and abroad are expressing disbelief that a national broadcaster could willingly... Full Article at Irish Times

Cameron on the party's tax proposals The Conservatives say they remain committed to supporting marriage through the tax system, amid Labour claims that the plans are in disarray. But the shadow chief secretary to the treasury, Philip Hammond, said the... Full Article at BBC News