Is this what the Labour counterattack will look like?

The Standard’s Paul Waugh blogs on how Labour might outflank the Tories on spending cuts, in rhetoric if not in deed:

“Downing Street has just revealed that Yvette Cooper led a Cabinet discussion on the post-Gershon efficiency review – and made plain that the Chancellor will next week suggest that he wants to go beyond the £30 billion in savings (aka cuts) already announced. Ms Cooper explained to colleagues how “there may be scope to go beyond” the £30 billion, Number 10 said… …the politics are clear. This is Labour saying ‘we are already getting maximum value for money for the taxpayer and cutting spending back as much as possible. If the Tories cut any more, they will cut into the bone of real services’.”

You can see how this line could be attractive to Labour strategists. But the question is whether the Mandelsons and Campbells of the party will be willing to deploy it wholesale, and thereby muddy the simple disingenuity of the ‘Labour investment vs Tory cuts’ message that’s being reheated as we speak.

UPDATE: Paul adds an update to his post, that I hadn’t noticed earlier: “Darling has all but confirmed his intentions, telling the BBC: ‘We can be more efficient and we will be more efficient’. He told Sky News: ‘People will be expecting the government to tighten its belt just as they are tightening theirs.'”