The hidden cuts are always the nastiest.   Although Osborne announced that for benefit upratings he was abandoning the normal inflation measure that has been used since 1974, namely the retail price index (RPI),  and replacing it by a consumer prices index (CPI), the full implications of this have only now become clear.   Though the child benefit and housing benefit cuts have had much more publicity, the switch from RPI to CPI will be much more devastating. Continue reading →