The UK economy took a severe hit during the 2008/2009 financial crisis. Output plunged，and unemployment soared，leaving the government with a huge debt as the effects of bailing out the banks kicked in. The Labour Party bore the blame in the 2010 general election，making way for a new coalition government which established“deficit reduction”as its most urgent task. However，the coalition government encountered massive resistance in rolling out its spending cuts program，which in turn led to big drops in the polling rate of both the Conservative Party and the Liberal Democratic Party. Over four years into the crisis，with the economy still in the midst of the most severe and protracted recession since the Second World War，the coalition government faces a great deal of uncertainty in trying to steer the UK economy out of the uncharted water.