This £10 billion bailout for the IMF brings the total Osborne has pledged to £40 billion, or some £666 for each and every man, woman and child in the Britain. In October last year after British taxpayers sent £9 billion to the IMF – £9 billion that Osborne had to borrow, Osborne told the House of Commons categorically:

“Britain will not be putting money into the bail-out fund either directly or through the IMF…. The IMF exists to support countries, it does not exist to support currencies… The IMF contributing money to the eurozone bail-out fund, no; Britain contributing money to the eurozone bail-out fund, no. That is Britain’s clear position.” 

The Chancellor could not be any more clear, he gave his word, it was an unqualified promise. Which Osborne has now broken.

Ed Balls lines up with Obama saying…

“The IMF should not become the de factor central bank of the eurozone. That is the principled position Labour and the US government have taken and why we voted against increased funding last summer.”

George Osborne gave a cast iron promise last October:

“Britain will not be putting money into the bailout fund either directly or through the IMF… the IMF exists to support countries, it does not exist to support currencies. The IMF contributing money to the eurozone bailout fund, no; Britain contributing money to the eurozone bailout fund, no. That is Britain’s clear position.”

Ed Balls and Tory backbenchers are at one on this, it is for Germany through the ECB to support the €uro. The American and Chinese Treasury ministers agree, it is not the purpose of the IMF to bailout an ill-conceived currency union. Don’t forget your promise George*…

*Guido hasn’t forgotten his IMF promise.

With the Greek government splitting on the referendum promise last night, today’s G20 summit is going to be even messier with the prospect of a snap Greek election now not out of the question. Papandreou says the referendum is about how the bailout, and the conditions that come with it, could be fed to the Greeks.

What is clear is the European political elite wants more bailout cash…

Two weeks ago Osborne told the Commons:

“Britain chose not to join the euro and the British Prime Minister has fought hard to get Britain out of the bail-out fund to which the previous Government signed us up. I want to make it clear that whatever the Commission President says, British taxpayers will not be contributing to the eurozone’s bail-out of Greece—full stop.”

Yet overnight we learn that Britain is gearing up to give more money to the IMF in a futile effort to try to keep Greece in the Euro. Surely this is a change of tune from just last week when Osborne said:

“Britain will not be putting money into the bail out fund either directly or through the IMF… the IMF exists to support countries, it does not exist to support currencies. The IMF contributing money to the eurozone bail out fund, no; Britain contributing money to the eurozone bail out fund, no. That is Britain’s clear position.”

We’ll be sure to believe you next time you make Britain’s position clear, George.

George Osborne told MPs…

“Britain will not be putting money into the bail-out fund either directly or through the IMF…. The IMF exists to support countries, it does not exist to support currencies… The IMF contributing money to the eurozone bail-out fund, no; Britain contributing money to the eurozone bail-out fund, no. That is Britain’s clear position.”

If you hear @edballsmp talk about #eurozone crisis remember he led Labour through lobbies to vote against UK's #IMF contribution this summer—
Matthew Hancock (@matthancockmp) September 25, 2011

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.

Though both the IMF and the Treasury are quick to stress that deficit reduction is the right thing to do, it’s not going to be as pleasant as the Chancellor will have us believe. Ronald Reagan asked to be judged on whether you were richer at the end of his medicine or before, but George will probably want to avoid that particular campaign slogan, given the IMF warn that British households will apparently be £1,500 worse off each year of the slowing recovery.

It’s still steady as we go though, unless the UK experiences “a prolonged period of weak growth and high unemployment”, when an additional plan could be called for. Not the one Labour drone on about though, with a slow down in cuts, but Plan A+, with added tax-cuts to complement the state trimming…

Which isn’t the worst idea Guido has ever heard…