Politics live blog – Monday 6 June

Rolling coverage of all the day’s political developments as they happen 9.02am: George Osborne didn’t have anything particularly new to say in his interview, but he did put on an audacious display of messenger shooting that should cheer government loyalists. I can’t remember the last time I heard a Tory minister clobber the BBC in an interview so robustly. Osborne defended his economic strategy but, in a rhetorical concession to the “plan B” merchants, he did insist that “flexibility” was already built into his plans. He also gave the impression that he’s expecting a thumbs up from the IMF when it publishes its verdict on the British e economy at 1.30pm. Here’s a full summary. • Osborne attacked the BBC for its negative coverage of the economy. It was refusing to report good news, he said: I’ve listened to news bulletins on your programme for the last year. Every time there is an unfortunate loss of jobs somewhere, a few hundred jobs, it’s on the news bulletin. I’ve not yet heard a single news bulletin that says 400,000 new jobs have been created over the last year. That just doesn’t appear on the news. Last week there was a disappointing manufacturing survey – it was on the news. Today, there is a more encouraging manufacturing survey – it’s not on the news. So I think what’s I’m asking for is a it bit of balance in the way we look at the British economy at the moment. He rejected the suggestion made before the interview started that he was “under pressure”. He said “many, many economists”, “many, many business organisations” and “all the international bodies” supported the government’s strategy. He said the comment from the OECD’s chief economist about the possible need for the government to slow the pace of defict reduction had been “over-interpreted” by the BBC. (This was unfair, because it was actually the Times that first carried the quote from Pier Carlo Padoan, the accuracy of which has not been challenged.) • Osborne defended his economic strategy. “The rock upon which the stability of the British economy rests at the moment is our credible fiscal plan,” he said. He also insisted that, although “leftwing academics” were criticising the government, that did not mean “that that is where the consensus of opinion is”. • He rejected claims that the economy was not growing. “It is not the case that all the data has shown there’s no growth in the British economy,” he said. “Actually we have seen employment rising, we have seen unemployment falling in recent months.” But he said he would like the economy to grow “even further”. • But he insisted that “flexibility” was already built into his economic strategy. Flexibility isn’t the same as having a “plan B” of the kind demanded by the experts who wrote to the Observer yesterday, but that fact that Osborne mentioned it suggests he does not want to be seen as too rigid. There is flexibility built into the plan that I announced a year ago… We’re talking about the structural deficit, so in other words we allow the automatic stabilisers to operate, which means that the economy can move up and down with the cycle, the government spending can move up and down with the cycle. We of course have an independent monetary policy committee and tighter fiscal policy gives the monetary policy committee greater freedom to operate monetary policy. We’re also planning to meet at the moment our mandate a year earlier – so we have flexibility built into our plan … This debate is quite binary … There’s an assumption that either you don’t do any cutting at all, or there’s my plan. My plan actually, I think, provides flexibility, but also stability and confidence. It’s flexible because it was very specifically designed to be cyclical. • He refused to say what the IMF would say about the British economy when it publishes a report on the subject at 1.30pm – although he sounded as if he was was expecting good news. The IMF was “the most independent of independent bodies,” he said. 8.17am: Montague asks whether Osborne will adapt his plan. Osborne says “flexibility” is built into his plan already. “Economic stablisers” will apply if growth is slower than expected, he says, adding: My plan provides flexibility, but also stability and confidence. His plan is flexible because it reflects the fact that the economy is cyclical, he says. Q: What’s your message to people? Should they be going out spending? Osborne says people need make their own decisions. And he returns to BBC-bashing. Whenever jobs are lost, that is on the news, he says. But he claims the BBC has not reported the fact that 400,000 jobs have been created. Q: Could it be worse ahead? That is not what the forecast says, Osborne replies. Q: But the spending cuts haven’t taken effect yet? Osborne says all the forecasts say the economy will grow. “That is good news.” The interview is over. I’ll post a summary soon. 8.14am: Sarah Montague, who is interviewing, says the OECD’s chief economist has suggested Osborne should slow the pace of deficit reduction. Osborne says the head of the OECD said Britain should not change course. He says the remarks from its chief economist were “over-interpreted” by the BBC. You can always assemble “leftwing academics” to criticise the government, he says, but that does not mean that they represent “the consensus of opinion”. He says businesses and families are enjoying lower business rates than they otherwise would be having because of the deficit reduction plan. That’s a “monetary stimulus”, he says. 8.12am: George Osborne is being interviewed now. He says the economy is growing. He would like it to grow faster, but it is growing. Q: Will the IMF endorse your plan? Osborne says he will not speak for the IMF. But it will be the first time the IMF has conducted an in-depth study into one of the five “systemic” economies in the world. Q: What are they going to say? Osborne say he will not speak for them, but they are one of the most independent bodies. 8.07am: It’s a busy start. George Osborne, the chancellor, is just about to give an interview to the Today programme. He will be responding to the economists and academics who wrote to the Observer yesterday saying he needs an economic “plan B”. And, after that, there’s plenty more to keep me busy. Here’s what’s coming up: 9.30am : Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, publishes the report from Reg Bailey on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood. As Patrick Wintour has reported, it will propose plans designed to stop retailers selling inappropriate clothes for pre-teens and to shield children from sexualised imagery across all media. Morning : Vince Cable, the business secretary, speaks at the GMB conference. As Polly Curtis reports, he will say that the government may tighten employment laws if the unions organise a wave of strikes this summer. 10am : Liam Fox, the defence secretary, speaks at the ConservativeHome conference. 11am : Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, speaks at the ConservativeHome conference. 1.30pm : The International Monetary Fund publishes a report on the British economy. 1.30pm : David Cameron has talks in Downing Street with the president of Romania. Afternoon : Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, speaks at the GMB conference. 7pm : John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, gives a public interview to the Independent columnist Steve Richards. This will be out of my time, but I’m mentioning it because it sounds good and you may be interested. There are more details here . As usual, I’ll be covering all the breaking political news as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I’ll post a lunchtime summary at around 1pm, and an afternoon one at about 4pm. 8.07am: It’s a busy start. George Osborne, the chancellor, is just about to give an interview to the today programme. He will be responding to the economists and academics who wrote to the Observer yesterday saying he needs an economic “plan B”. And, after that, there’s plenty more to keep my busy. Here’s what’s coming up. 9.30am: Sarah Teather, the children’s minister, publishes the report from Reg Bailey on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood. As Patrick Wintour has reported, it will propose plans designed to stop retailers selling inappropriate clothes for pre-teens and to shield children from sexualised imagery across all media. Morning: Vince Cable, the business secretary, speaks at the GMB conference. As Polly Curtis reports, he will say that the government may tighten employment laws if the unions organise a wave of strikes this summer. 10am: Liam Fox, the defence secretary, speaks at a ConservativeHome conference. 11am: Andrew Mitchell, the international development secretary, speaks at the ConservativeHome conference. 1.30pm: The International Monetary Fund publishes a report on the British economy. 1.30pm: David Cameron has talks in Downing Street with the president of Romania. Afternoon: Ed Balls, the shadow chancellor, speaks at the GMB conference. 7pm: John Bercow, the Commons Speaker, gives a public interview to the Independent columnist Steve Richards. This will be out of my time, but I’m mentioning it because it sounds good and you may be interested. There are more details here. As usual, I’ll be covering all the breaking political news, as well as looking at the papers and bringing you the best politics from the web. I’ll post a lunchtime summary at around 1pm, and an afternoon one at about 4pm. George Osborne David Cameron Ed Balls John Bercow Andrew Sparrow guardian.co.uk

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