UK cabinet ministers to brace themselves for 40% cuts

(The Guardian): Cabinet ministers have been ordered by the Treasury to plan for unprecedented cuts of 40% in their departmental budgets as the coalition widens the scope of its four-year austerity drive. The eye-watering demand from the chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, was sent this weekend to cabinet colleagues ahead of a week in which ministers will step up emergency cost-cutting across the public sector. The only departments not included in the Treasury trawl will be health and international development, which have been "ringfenced" for the current parliament. It is estimated that a 25% cut in the Home Office budget could mean a reduction in the number of police officers of almost 20,000.

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