No surprises were revealed in the latest attempt to reduce the nation’s debt level, with most of the focus centred around pre-election jostling. The Labour party has made it clear it will not be adopting the rival Conservative’s aggressive budget-cutting measures they claim are necessitated by the ongoing deficit.

The anticipated May 6 election is therefore looming as a showdown over post-recession Britain, which the Conservative Party has attempted to show was a direct result of Labour’s failed policies. The Tories also claim that failing to act quickly to rectify the massive debt level will frighten off investors and place further strains on the already fragile economy.

David Cameron, the Conservative Party leader, dismissed the Darling budget, arguing that the announcement could have taken one minute rather than one hour and claimed that he failed to address any of the real issues.

Mr Darling was applauded by economic analysts for avoiding pre-election hand-outs that have long been a tradition of UK budgets. The most notable issue raised was the two-year probationary period for first home buyers spending in excess of £250,000, which will be funded by increased taxes – almost doubled at 5 percent – on properties worth £1 million or more.

Such giveaways are likely to appeal to the more working-class Labour support base, particularly with the Conservatives being labelled as favouring the rich.

Admitting his restaurants had experienced tough times during the recession, Ramsay was absent for the court proceedings. The 44-year-old entrepreneur denied a few months ago that his global restaurant empire had debts mounting to £10million stemming from the recession combined with poor bookings.

One of the restaurants, Heathrow’s Plane Food at Terminal 5, received a 14-day grace period before an amount has to be paid to the Inland Revenue. As for the other one, Maze in West End London, it received a 63 day grace period before facing the tax man.
 
The celebrity chef cut his losses recently by retrieving his investment from one restaurant project in Prague and by selling two in London.

Inland Revenue representatives said they had couldn’t reveal the amount owed by Ramsay on those two specific premises.

In an interview with fashion magazine The Stylist, Ramsay said the difficult economic conditions experienced during the recession made him a wiser and stronger man.

Last summer, the chef had to sell his Ferrari and had even tinkered with the idea of getting rid of his family home after finding he owed the taxman £7million and that his global business was bleeding money by the millions.

In more cheerful news, it was reveal this autumn that the celebrity chef would the subject of a new animated cartoon series.

Canadian animation firm Cuppa Coffee Studios said it was working with the famous chef to create stop-motion animated shows.

The series, totaling 20 episodes, will be called “Gordon Ramsay, At Your Service”.