Several people have been asking questions on the way forward following the recent announcement that the coalition government in Britain has decided to readjust the United Kingdom’s budget for the next four years. The measures announced on October 20 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, saw several government departments witnessing cuts of 19%.

Commenting on the importance and context of such a key move, the British Foreign Secretary, William Hague, gave in-depth analysis of the situation in the following except.

“We are taking urgent steps to reduce the national debt and deal with the fiscal legacy we inherited. We have shown that we have the resolve and determination to live within our means. And we have set out to reinvigorate Britain’s diplomatic engagement with the world, elevating our links with the fastest growing economies and championing Britain as a home for business and investment. We understand that economic recovery starts at home, but that we have to look beyond our shores for new opportunities and new partners.”

The scale of the economic challenge is formidable. We inherited one of the largest budget deficits in Europe and the G20. But we have a clear vision for the future of our country. We have chosen to spend on the country’s most important priorities – the health care of our people, the education of our young, our nation’s security and the infrastructure that supports our economic growth. We are building a fairer and more responsible society, with more opportunity for people to lift themselves out of poverty, and with state support focused on those who need it most. We are reforming public services - improving transparency and accountability, giving more power and responsibility to citizens and enabling sustainable long term improvements in services. And we are building a stronger economy, with more jobs, investment and growth for a private sector-led recovery. We have protected as far as possible those areas of public spending which matter for economic growth and pursued reforms to make these more cost-effective.

We know that we cannot have sustainable growth in the economy without healthy public finances. We have created a new independent Office for Budgetary Responsibility, so that the power to determine the growth and fiscal forecasts now resides with an independent body immune to the temptations of the political cycle. And we have pledged to eliminate the UK’s structural deficit by the end of this Parliament, which has been welcomed by the International Monetary Fund as a necessary path to ensuring fiscal sustainability and a balanced recovery.”

In the light of all these arguments, Cameroon Tribune sought to know from the British High Commissioner in Cameroon, Bharat Joshi the implication of the move to British/Cameroon relations and other measures by the UK government towards her bilateral partners.