国际英语新闻：Britain's new coalition announces first public spending cuts

LONDON, May 24 (Xinhua) -- Britain's new coalition government moved quickly Monday to begin its major task of cutting the record public deficit of 156 billion pounds (about 225 billion U.S. dollars).

The cuts announced Monday total only 6.25 billion pounds (about 9 billion dollars) in current budgets, but are highly symbolic and are a little higher than the 6-billion-pound (8.6-billion-dollar) cuts that had been promised and were expected.

They come less than a fortnight after the two parties in the coalition -- the right-wing Conservatives and the left-of-center Liberal Democrats -- announced they would form a government.

They represent the main thrust of government policy over the next five years, and also a tangible sign the government wants to get down to business quickly.

The savings will come from costs such as travel and consultancy, IT savings, delaying and stopping contracts, a recruitment freeze in the civil service, and cutting costs of quangos (quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations).

Chancellor of the Exchequer, or the finance minister, George Osborne said, "If we don't take action, we will soon be spending more on servicing our debts than educating our children."

He said the public debt, the amount borrowed each year to pay for public services that tax revenue did not cover, was a major issue threatening the stability of in-debt governments across the world.

"Countries are waking up to the dangers of the sovereign debt crisis and are taking action to live within their means," Osborne said.

"Last week, I twice attended meetings of European finance ministers. Sitting at that table of 27 finance ministers, I could not help but be conscious that I represented the country with the biggest budget deficit of all."

"In those councils, the previous British government was an advocate of dither and delay. That has now changed and Britain is now a leading voice in Europe for fiscal responsibility."

Areas like health, defense and overseas development aid were protected from these cuts, and Osborne said that, by cutting elsewhere, he was also able to protect schools, 16-19 year old education spending, and a job-help program for young people from cuts.