Brimming with the confidence of a man who had masterminded a startling election victory only six months earlier, George Osborne used last month's Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) and Autumn Statement to tell the House of Commons he was the chancellor who could both balance Britain's books and transform its infrastructure. Continuing the focus on capital spend, Osborne announced both a 37% decrease in the Department for Transport's (DfT) operational budget and a 50% increase in capital spending to £61bn. With a Cheshire Cat grin, Osborne could let rip with his second-favourite slogan: "For we are the builders." (His favourite remains "long-term economic plan".) He added: "By making the difficult decisions to save on day-to-day costs in departments, we can invest in the new roads, railways, science, flood defences and energy Britain needs."
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