MORE ILLUSORY INFRASTRUCTURE SPENDING?

The Chancellor seems to have finally admitted that abolishing the Building Schools for the Future programme and his other deep cuts to infrastructure investment were a catastrophic mistake which cost jobs and weakened our economy.

But this extra funding for new free schools will be smaller than the huge cuts he made two years ago to school and college buildings.  And George Osborne must explain which frontline services, like the police and social care, he will cut further to pay for this latest u-turn.

In last year’s Autumn Statement, Ministers boasted that their infrastructure plan would boost the economy, but none of the road schemes they announced have even started construction.  The Government needs to ensure that this funding urgently gets through on the ground.