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No budget giveaway as polls show differing results – 8 in the morning, March 12th

8am

By Alex Smith / @alexsmith1982

* Two new polls last night tell quite different stories, with the Tory lead at 3 in the YouGov tracker, and 13 in an Angus Reid survey.

* Alastair Darling says there will be no budget “giveaway” in two weeks time.

* Liam Byrne has said the budget will include no new VAT or other tax rises.

* Civil servants plan to merge the press offices of Number 10 and the Cabinet Office, which would mean a more powerful Downing Street media office after the election.

* The three MPs and peer facing prosecution over expense claims have tried to invoke “parliamentary privilege” to make their not guilty case.

* John Prescott says “we’re in a fight, and we’re going to win!”

* Nick Clegg is being warned that any attempt to strike a formal deal with a minority Tory government after the next election could split his party.

* Nicolas Sarkozy will be in London today, and will meet Gordon Brown and David Cameron.

Alex is the founder and CEO of The Cares Family. He was editor and first director of LabourList in 2009-2010, during which time he established the site as the number one Labour blog, and later an aide to Ed Miliband.

View all articles by Alex Smith
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