Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010

David Cameron

British Prime Minister David Cameron is leading an austerity drive in his country that may prove a model for other countries looking to cut budget deficits and weather the economic storm. His critics say the cuts — which amount to 19% reductions in spending by most government departments — may send the U.K. back into recession and hit the poorest hardest. Cameron, who leads a coalition of his own Conservative Party and the Liberal Democrats, denies these charges and has pledged to shield Britain's taxpayer-funded health care system. The youngest British Premier in two centuries, he is aiming to reclaim the center ground of British politics held until recently by the Labour Party under Tony Blair and then Gordon Brown.