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WORLD NEWSThursday 9 March 2017
With tough part of Brexit ahead, UK marshals its resources
spending plan for the 2017- during the financial crisis.
18 fiscal year that he said
lay the foundations for a “The only responsible
“stronger, fairer, better Brit-
ain” outside the EU. course of action ... is to
The chancellor told jokes —
some at his own expense continue with our plan un-
— setting an upbeat tone
for a government ready deterred by any short-term
to take on the biggest
change in a generation. fluctuations,” Hammond
“Our United Kingdom has a
proud history,” he told the said. “We will not saddle
House of Commons. “We
have done remarkable our children with ever-in-
things together. But we
look forwards, not back- creasing debts.”
wards, confident that our
greatest achievements lie The caution over spending
ahead of us.”
While he promised addi- came despite improved
tional funding to care for
the elderly and mitigated government finances.
steep rises in property taxes
for some businesses, Ham- While the latest figures from
mond said that supporting
Britain’s public finances the independent Office
ahead of Brexit means con-
tinuing to control spending. for Budget Responsibility
Prime Minister Theresa May
and her predecessor have show government borrow-
presided over seven years
of austerity to close a bud- ing during the 2016-17 year
get deficit that ballooned
will probably be about 16.6
billion pounds ($20.2 billion)
less than forecast, Ham-
mond noted Britain is still 1.7
trillion pounds in debt.
Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, center, and members of the Treasury The Office for Budget Re-
team, pose for the media with the traditional red dispatch box outside his official residence num-
ber 11 Downing Street in London, as he departs to deliver his annual budget speech to Parliament, sponsibility also upgraded
Wednesday, March 8, 2017.
its forecast for economic
(Victoria Jones/PA via AP)
growth this year, to 2 per-
cent from the previous es-
DANICA KIRKA nomically painful exit from hearted moments belied timate of 1.4 percent. But
Associated Press the European Union. That’s the dramas ahead.
LONDON (AP) — Britain the message the Treasury Philip Hammond ditched it downgraded the outlook
plans to save money while chief gave Wednesday in the dry delivery that earned
it can to prepare for a po- a budget speech whose him the nickname “Spread- for 2018 to 1.6 percent from
tentially drawn-out, eco- confident tone and light- sheet Phil,” as he outlined a
1.7 percent and for 2019
to 1.7 percent from 2.1
percent.q
Tusk closing in on 2nd term as EU Council president
GEIR MOULSON In this November, 2016, photo, European Council President Donald Tusk reads a statement at the official said that Chancel-
Associated Press EU Council building in Brussels. German deputy foreign minister Michael Roth Tuesday March 7, lor Angela Merkel “appre-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Donald 2017, is calling for European Union countries to rally behind Donald Tusk as the former Polish Prime ciates the work” of Tusk
Tusk is closing in on a sec- Minister Tusk seeks a second term in one of the bloc’s top positions, which will be decided with a and that he assumes he
ond term as the European vote upcoming Thursday. will be re-elected Thursday
Union’s Council president with “overwhelming sup-
despite fierce opposition (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo port.”
from Poland’s most influen- Most EU nations want quick
tial politician, a bitter rival land and has failed to pro- ginning of Thursday’s sum- option would be Tusk win- approval of Tusk since
of the former prime minis- tect the country’s interests mit for a way to preserve ning by a large majority. the EU is already facing so
ter. in the EU. the consensus and have The diplomats spoke on many issues that a drawn-
Tusk’s 2½-year term in one Malta, which holds the EU’s everyone back one candi- condition of anonymity out succession process
of the EU’s most presti- rotating presidency, will be date, but several other dip- since the issue was still un- would further damage the
gious jobs, as the chairman looking right up to the be- lomats said the most likely resolved. A senior German bloc.
of summits of the bloc’s The heart of the problem
28 leaders, ends May 31. appears to be long-stand-
An EU summit is due to ing rivalry and animosity
elect the president for the between Tusk and Jaro-
next term Thursday. slaw Kaczynski, the leader
Poland’s nationalist gov- of Poland’s governing Law
ernment, which has often and Justice party. Kaczyn-
been at odds with Brus- ski accuses Tusk of contrib-
sels and EU partners, has uting, through lax security,
proposed little-known Pol- to the death of his twin,
ish EU lawmaker Jacek President Lech Kaczynski,
Saryusz-Wolski to replace in a plane crash in 2010.
Tusk. But by Wednesday, Kaczynski told Poland’s TVP
diplomats from several Info television on Tuesday
member nations said it was that Tusk is “totally unac-
clear that Warsaw has little ceptable” for Poland, ac-
or no support while Tusk cusing him of “breaking
has strong backing. the basic EU rules, the rules
Poland’s government ar- of neutrality toward inter-
gues that Tusk supports the nal matters of member
domestic opposition in Po- nations.”q
