How many more Lib Dem 'deals' before Tories give up on coalition?

Behind the scenes in Birmingham, more and more Tories say they'd rather run a minority government

David Cameron
(Image credit: 2012 Getty Images)

GEORGE OSBORNE will announce a deal with the Liberal Democrats to cut £10bn from welfare today, but senior Tories at the Tory Party conference in Birmingham are privately planning to ditch the Lib Dems for a minority Conservative government after the next election.

The Chancellor will use his keynote speech today to announce he has persuaded Nick Clegg, the Lib Dem leader, to hold his nose and let the cuts in benefits through in return for a commitment to hit the wealthy with more taxes in his next Budget. He has also squared the cuts with Iain Duncan Smith, the welfare secretary, who has been trying to protect his budget.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
is the pseudonym for a London-based political consultant who writes exclusively for The Week.co.uk.