Tory unrest as George Osborne stays vague on spending plans

George Osborne's failure to give more details of his spending plans came under fire today amid increasing Tory unease over narrowing opinion polls.

Conservative MPs expressed dismay after the shadow chancellor revealed he would wait six months after his first Budget before drafting full-scale proposals to tackle Britain's deficit.

At a lecture in the City, he said he would announce some "in-year" cuts soon after taking office, with a wider departmental spending review in the autumn.

Mr Osborne said his plans, including an independent Office of Budget Responsibility, would reassure the bond markets not to raise interest rates.

But Tory critics said they lacked the credibility to prove Britain was serious about slashing the £178 billion deficit. One MP added: "We need to give the voters clarity — and we still aren't."

Martin Weale, of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said: "I do think [Mr Osborne] really didn't provide the detail that people will be looking for in a run-up to an election."

Mr Osborne said he wanted to be "straight" with the public but the Opposition did not have access to the Treasury books to make a proper judgment on cuts.

Today's Sun/YouGov poll put the Tories on 38 per cent, Labour on 32 and the Liberal Democrats on 19. It is the third poll in three days to put David Cameron's lead at only six points.