The new government has promised things will be different: but when it comes to spending, we seem stuck on old Tory policies

The election campaign mantra of “change, change, change” reminded me of those people down on their luck who approach you in the street and ask “got any change, guv?”

Until this month’s welcome result in the polling booths, the Labour party had certainly been down on its luck. From the moment in 2010 when the new chancellor, George Osborne, capitalised on departing Labour chief secretary Liam Byrne’s joke that “there’s no money left”, Labour was fighting an uphill battle.