Blow for Alistair Darling as EU issues official warning over the state of Britain’s public finances

Embarrassment for Alistair Darling: The European Council has issued formal ‘guidance’ to Britain over deficit levels Alistair Darling faced major embarrassment tonight as the European Union issued an official warning to Britain over the state of its public finances. It said it expected Britain to take longer than other countries – including struggling Greece, Ireland, Spain and France – to get its deficit back under control. The rap over the knuckles is the latest blow to the Chancellor, who was accused of using ‘fantasy’ figures on the prospects of recovery in last week’s Budget. Today former Treasury adviser Roger Bootle poured scorn on his forecasts, saying Britain may be heading for a…

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