As the split in the Tory leadership simmers, the Shadow Chancellor gives what is alleged to be an ‘unapproved’ interview to The News of the World.

After a fortnight of frustration for the Conservative rank and file, George Osborne talked tough in the News of the World today. Expressing his own view of the need for urgent deficit action and tough austerity, the Tory election coordinator told a panel of journalists:

“People will be reasonable and say someone has got to get a grip. We would crack on and deal with the problem….We’ve supported the banks – they should be supporting the economy now. They have a clear obligation to help get this country off its addiction to debt….WE need to start in 2010/11. It is not credible to say I am going to be virtuous tomorrow. You have to be virtuous today, particularly when the promises of politicians are seen to be cheap. I think it would be pretty extraordinary if a new government was elected on May 6 with a mandate to deal with this deficit, and they weren’t going to do anything about it until April 2011. That is the Government’s position and I don’t think it is credible….In the end I think News of the World readers know if you’ve got a debt problem, the longer you leave it the worse it gets.”

This is the classic ‘pain today, sunny-uplands tomorrow’ agreed by the Big Four Tories after the recent conference.

“George is fed up of pussy-footing” said a Tory insider last night, “Also he’s been hurt by the media image of him as a thin-voiced twit with no ideas of his own. This was going to happen sooner or later. Lots of Conservative supporters will be glad he’s done it.”