Nicola Smith

The FT have done some useful analysis of what a 25 per cent spending cut could mean for different departments. Cutting education spending by a quarter would mean removing all spending for primary schools and all spending for Sure Start. In defence, a 25 per cent cut would be equivalent to stopping procurement of all new equipment. In the Home Office, a cut of this magnitude would mean 35,000 police officers. In BIS, it could mean elimitating the entire budget for science and research.