….AND OSBORNE WEIGHS IN AGAINST UNITE EMAIL LEAK

Following yesterday’s heavy hints about the UK’s credit rating from Moodys, an EU commission report will this week also slam Darling’s delays strategy on cutting deficits.

Shadow Chancellor George Osborne’s stature continues to rise – and his standing will get another fillip from an EU document to be published tomorrow.

The Commission Report insists that the UK is not going to meet an EU deficit policy that is due to be obligatory in 2015. Sovereign deficits after that date will have to be below 3% of GDP.

The report also dismissed Treasury forecasts of economic growth as optimistic.

“The message from the Commission will be that the UK needs to get its house in order,” an EU spokesman said. He did not suggest that 23 other houses will also need to be in better order by 2015, although this is highly likely – assuming that number are still standing by then.

Osborne called the Report “a blow to the Chancellor’s credibility”. The wind is changing in his direction, and one can sense that George recognises this. Late last night, on hearing news of the BA union Unite’s leaked Ashcroft-style marginals activity, Osborne commented:

“You cannot on the one hand condemn the strike while at the same time accepting money from the union orchestrating it. The Unite union is becoming a party within a party. It is selecting candidates and running the campaign in the marginal seats. Its political director [Charlie Whelan] has an open pass to Downing Street and he is directing Labour’s campaign and boasting about it. This is Labour’s new militant tendency.”

In emailed literature to Unite workers in the marginals, the words “reclaim the Labour Party for the workers” are used. Over the weekend, The Slog revealed how Leftist advisers once again have access to the Prime Minister’s ear.