Britain's opposition Conservatives said on Sunday they will set out plans this week for reducing the country's gaping budget deficit and unveil a "massive" programme to cut unemployment. The Conservatives, well ahead of the ruling Labour Party in the polls before an election due by June, say they would start reining in public spending from next year if elected.
Both have promised spending cuts but have been reluctant to give details. Public borrowing is forecast to hit a record 175 billion pounds ($278.3 billion) this year as government finances are squeezed by a deep recession and bailouts for crisis-hit banks.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government has spent billions trying to refloat the economy and the Conservatives accuse him of wasting money. Labour says pulling the plug too early on stimulus measures would jeopardise recovery.
Conservative leader David Cameron said the party's finance spokesman George Osborne would outline steps to tackle the deficit in his speech on Tuesday to the party's annual conference in Manchester.
Cameron refused to say how many public sector workers might lose their jobs as a result of Conservative cuts, saying he wanted to avoid front-line cuts and job losses.
He said the centrepiece of the Conservative conference would be a "really massive" 'Get Britain working' programme with and "up-front cost" of 600 million pounds, to be unveiled on Monday at the party's four-day conference.
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