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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Tim Bale

Austerity, Brexit and 44 days in purgatory: the key stages of Tory rule

David Cameron, with his family beside him, prepares to leave Downing Street for the last time after Britain voted to leave the EU.
David Cameron, with his family beside him, prepares to leave Downing Street for the last time after Britain voted to leave the EU. Photograph: Carl Court/Getty Images

The age of austerity: 2010 and beyond

Up until the financial crash of 2007/8, chancellor George Osborne and PM David Cameron were ‘compassionate Conservatives’, keen to ‘share the proceeds of growth’. But when the shit hit the fan, they were all about balancing the book with cuts to public spending (particularly on welfare and local authorities), bearing a much greater share of the burden than tax rises.

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