Alistair Darling poses with a briefcase containing the 2009 Budget Report in London
By Carl de Souza
Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling poses with a briefcase containing the 2009 Budget Report outside 11 Downing Street in London. Darling forecasted that the economy will shrink this year at the fastest rate since 1945 and suffer sky-high public debt as a result of the global financial crisis.