Arriving for work at the UK Treasury last week, the incoming chief secretary, David Laws, found a note from his predecessor, Liam Byrne, offering advice on the job.
According to Laws, it read: “Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid to tell you there’s no money left.”
“Which was honest,” Laws, whose position is the No 2 in the Treasury after the chancellor of the exchequer, told a press conference in London today. “But slightly less than I was expecting.”
The note underscores the task facing Britain’s coalition government as it seeks to reconcile demand for improved health and education services with promises to reduce the largest budget deficit since World War II.
