http://twitter.com/#!/matthancockmp/status/118075484188852224

Back in July the government won a vote to send £9 billion to the IMF by just 28 votes, the tightest margin yet for the Coalition government. Despite the best efforts of the whips some thirty-two Tory MPs rebelled against the government.

Osborne’s former bag carrier Matthew Hancock thinks this was a bad thing, others (including Ed Balls, Guido and John Redwood) think they voted in the national interest. We were told at the time that this was not like £9 billion transfer which we would never see again, it was a “contingent liability” and the IMF has never failed to repay such borrowings. The IMF has never faced a financial crisis on this scale before, the US is in no position to be the leading lender of last resort if the Euro shatters the IMF.

Christine Lagarde of the IMF is now briefing that the IMF needs more funds to deal with the worst case scenario.

Osborne and the Treasury spin that if Britain wants to sit at the top table the taxpayers have to cough up to the IMF. Isn’t it time to let other people sit at the top table. Brazil, China and India should get a better seat. The menu doesn’t look that appealing and is overpriced.