George Osborne will spend more than ever. Don’t be fooled by his ‘40% cuts’ | Simon Jenkins

The chancellor is not cutting the cost of the public sector – he just wants a different one. But even then, expect costs to balloon

George Osborne loves to play the heebie-jeebie who pops up at parties and shouts “Boo!”. But Tuesday’s request for a “40% cut” in government spending looks like cruelty to children. No one believes it will happen. In no year of Osborne’s chancellorship has he actually cut public spending – and only in 2013 was it cut in real terms. Nor did his latest budget aim to...