Ed Balls MP Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, speaking after the vote on Labour’s proposal to allow the Office for Budget Responsibility to carry out an independent audit of manifesto spending and tax commitments, said:

“It’s hugely disappointing that the Tories and Lib Dems are blocking this important reform which would help improve public debate at election time.

"The independent budget watchdog, the Office for Budget Responsibility, should be allowed to audit the spending and tax commitments in the manifestos of the main political parties. In tough times people want to know that every pledge is properly costed and the sums add up.

"Labour wants that tough, rigorous and independent scrutiny for our election manifesto. The Tories and Lib Dems should be willing to subject their manifestos to such an audit too. And if there was cross-party agreement this could still have been done in time for the next election.

"It’s now clear David Cameron and George Osborne want to carry on making totally false claims about Labour’s plans while running scared of having their own manifesto audited.”