Osborne's statement was prepared well in advance, which means Moody's action was not only prepared and distributed long ago but it got the blessing of both the UK government and Goldman Sachs. And why not: so far it has achieved precisely what it was intended to: crush the Pound. The next question: when does talk of GBP-EUR parity begin?
Moodys has just downgraded Britain’s credit rating from AAA to Aa1
The Chancellor George Osborne released the following statement after the UK lost its AAA credit rating with agency Moody's:
Tonight we have a stark reminder of the debt problems facing our country - and the clearest possible warning to anyone who thinks we can run away from dealing with those problems.
Far from weakening our resolve to deliver our economic recovery plan, this decision redoubles it.
We will go on delivering the plan that has cut the deficit by a quarter, and given us record low interest rates and record numbers of jobs.
As the rating agency says, Britain faces huge challenges at home from the debts built up over many many years, and it is made no easier by the very weak economic situation in Europe.
Crucially for families and businesses, they say that ‘the UK's creditworthiness remains extremely high’ thanks in part to a ‘strong track record of fiscal consolidation’ and our ‘political will’.
They also make it absolutely clear that they could downgrade the UK’s credit rating further in the event of ‘reduced political commitment to fiscal consolidation’.
We are not going to run away from our problems, we are going to overcome them.
– George Osborne