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Budget 2015: Danny Alexander Fails To Get Ed Balls To Shake His Hand: 'Come On Ed, Shake It'

This Is The Best Thing To Come From The Budget Today...
Ned Simons
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SkyNews

Live on Sky News this afternoon, Danny Alexander tried to force Ed Balls to agree to a three-way televised chancellors debate. But failed.

The Lib Dem chief secretary to the Treasury was involved in a spirited ding-dong with the shadow chancellor in a joint post-Budget appearance on the channel. Alexander, accusing Balls of being "vague" on Labour's policies, stuck out his hand and asked Balls to shake it and agree to a election debate. "Perhaps you and I could debate this," he said. "A three-way debate, if you and I shake. Come on Ed, shake on it."

However Balls laughed and made sure his hands went no where near Alexander's grasp.

Alexander said: "I don't know why he is willing to sign up to a debate with George Osborne but he is running away from a debate with me."

On Sunday, Balls successfully ambushed Osborne on the Andrew Marr show into shaking his hand on a head-to-head chancellors debate.

Today, Balls told Alexander he was happy to take part in a debate with all the parties Treasury spokespeople, but he wanted a head-to-head with Osborne as well. "I want a debate with the two serious parties, the two parties where the chancellor will come from. I'm not going to let George Osborne off the hook."

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Balls told Osborne on Sunday: "George is not a coward. David Cameron doesn't want a head-to-head with Ed Miliband but I'm very happy - I will have a head-to-head debate, just the two of us, the potential chancellors during the election campaign. He added: "You can say now - are you up for it?"

Budget 2015: The Main Points
An end to austerity! Eventually.(01 of10)
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The squeeze on public spending is to end a year earlier than planned, so that in 2019/20, spending will grows in line with the growth of the economy - bringing state spending as a share of national income to the same level as in 2000. (credit:goir via Getty Images)
A penny off a pint (again)(02 of10)
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Beer duty will be cut for the third year in a row and wine duty will be frozen. (credit:nitrub via Getty Images)
Millions to get a tiny tax cut(03 of10)
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Personal tax allowance will go up to £10,800, from £10,600, next year and £11,000 the year after. Osborne says this is a tax cut for 27 million people. The 40p income tax threshold will be upped to £43,300 in 2017-8, up from £42,385. (credit:maybefalse via Getty Images)
ISA, ISA baby(04 of10)
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There will be help for first time property buyers and savers with subsidised ISAs to help get people on the property ladder and the first £1,000 of interest will be tax-free.
The annual savings limit for ISA ill be increased to £15,240 and a fully flexible ISA will be created. New Help to Buy ISA for first-time buyers that allows the government to top-up by £50 every £200 saved for a deposit.
From April, next year, a new personal savings allowance will mean first £1,000 of interest on savings will be tax-free. (credit:Dhb-photography via Getty Images)
The end of the annual tax return (Yes, we knew that already)(05 of10)
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We already knew this but the Chancellor announced the abolition of the annual tax return. "People should be working for themselves, not the taxman," he says. (credit:PA/PA Wire)
The worst will pay more to the best(06 of10)
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Another £75 million will be taken from Libor fines, paid by misbehaving banks, and given to charities for military regiments that fought in Afghanistan. The government will also pay towards a permanent memorial to those who died in the wars Afghanistan and Iraq and help to renovate the Battle of Britain memorials. (credit:Ben Birchall/PA Wire)
More tax from people with big pensions(07 of10)
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The pension pot lifetime allowance - the amount you can receive in pension payments without incurring an extra tax charge - will be reduced from £1.25m to £1m from next year, which is expected to save £600 million a year. (credit:Rosemary Calvert via Getty Images)
Praise the Lord! More money for church roof repair(08 of10)
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In The Autumn Statement, Osborne announced a £15 million fund for repairing church roofs. But it's so oversubscribed, it's going to be trebled. (credit:Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
The 'Google Tax'(09 of10)
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Osborne confirmed a tax on "diverted profits" will into effect in April. It will apply on multinational firms that make money in the UK but move profits offshore.
 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Inheritence tax avoidance probe(10 of10)
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Osborne announced that a review of avoidance of inheritance tax through "deeds of variation" would be conducted and report back in Autumn. Deeds of variation allow changes to be made to a person's will within two years of their death, provided all the beneficiaries agree.
It follows accusations Ed Miliband and his brother David avoided tax this way after the death of their father. (credit:eric1513 via Getty Images)

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