Lib Dems will have to accept Tory welfare cuts for deficit reduction deal – study

If the Conservatives were not prepared to compromise on long-term plans, the Liberal Democrats would have to swallow 15bn in spending cuts in 2018-19

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats could reach an agreement on the scale of deficit reduction by 2017-18, but will find it almost impossible to reach a deal across the parliament without the Lib Dems accepting Tory cuts to welfare, a new study shows.

If the Tories were not prepared to compromise on their long-term plans, the Liberal Democrats would have to swallow a further 15bn spending cuts in 2018-19, and a similar amount in 2019-2020.