Police forces face cuts as part of the government’s review of public spending after George Osborne refused to say that he would protect the number of frontline officers.
The chancellor said that the budget for counterterrorism would be boosted by 30 per cent – to £15 billion over the next five years – as part of this week’s spending review, to help protect Britain against a Paris-style terror attack.
However, when asked directly whether he would protect police numbers, he said that forces should bear their fair share of deficit reduction measures.
“Every public service has to make sure it is spending money well, but we will make sure Britain is properly defended against the terrorist threat,” he said, adding: “You cannot have national security