Osborne to strive for more ‘secure’ Britain

In a speech to business leaders in Hong Kong ahead of this weekend’s G20 Finance ministers meeting in Australia, Mr Osborne said it would be a “huge mistake” to consider the job done in repairing the UK’s battered finances.

While he cheered a marked improvement in the economy and jobs market, he said plans must remain in place to slash the deficit and national debt.

He said: “Some in Britain might be tempted to say, ‘job done, let’s avoid more hard decisions’.

“That would be a huge mistake. Abandon the plan and we abandon the progress we’ve made and go back to square one.

“I said that we have to go on dealing with our debt and our deficit – and we have no choice but to do so,” he added.

His comments follow a sharp upgrade to UK growth forecasts from the Bank of England last week, which predicts growth of 3.4 per cent this year, up from 2.8 per cent previously.

Gross domestic product grew by 0.8 per cent in the third quarter of 2013 and by 0.7 per cent in the final three months of the year, although Bank experts believe fourth quarter growth will be revised up to around 0.9 per cent.

But Bank governor Mark Carney stressed the recovery had been “neither balanced nor sustainable” and required continued support.

Mr Osborne echoed the Bank’s comments as he said “as well as reasons to be cheerful, there are also reasons to be careful”.

Exports continue to lag behind imports and much of the economic growth has so far been spurred on by consumer spending.

He said: “The recovery is not yet secure and our economy is still too unbalanced.

“We cannot rely on consumers alone for our economic growth, as we did in previous decades. And we cannot put all our chips on the success of the City of London, as my predecessors did. Britain is not investing enough. Britain is not exporting enough.”

He said the Budget on March 19 will support business investment and exports to lay foundations for “long-term economic security”.

He added it will be a Budget that “ensures that around the world, wherever you are, you can’t help but see ‘Made in Britain’”.

“That’s the Budget I’m going to deliver.”