Reducing Government Spending

Debate between Lord Livermore and Baroness Curran

Tuesday 24th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

Of course, I agree with everything the Chancellor says. Since coming to office, this Government have implemented an economic plan to bring stability to the public finances and to strengthen Britain’s economy for the long term. The forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility, published last month, showed that our plan is working and that we enter this period of global uncertainty with the fundamentals of our economy strong. We have cut inflation, which is standing now at 3%, a lower base than at the outset of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. We have prioritised growth to drive up living standards and have stabilised the public finances, having already reduced the deficit by £20 billion this year, from 5.2% to 4.3% of GDP.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

My Lords, can my noble friend spell out to the House the benefits of increased public expenditure on health and how this actually contributes to economic growth? Can he spell out the benefits of increased public expenditure on defence, which contributes to the safety of the United Kingdom? Does he agree with me that the years of Tory austerity directly damaged the defence standing of this country?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I absolutely agree with everything my noble friend says. The legacy of underinvestment from the previous Government still affects the economy today. When we won the election, private sector investment was the lowest in the whole G7. Public sector investment was no better and was set to fall again from 2.5% to 1.7% of GDP. We have invested £120 billion of additional capital investment. The OBR estimates the eventual growth impact of this increase in capital investment as adding 1.4% to GDP. As I have said before, cutting this and returning to austerity would be the very worst thing that we could do for growth. Unlike today’s Conservative Party, we will not repeat the mistakes of the past.

OBR Forecasts

Debate between Lord Livermore and Baroness Curran

Monday 1st December 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

The noble Baroness seems to know very well what went on behind closed doors and what the Prime Minister and Chancellor said to Ministers in various private meetings. I am afraid that I do not think that she does know what went on behind closed doors. As I have said already, on 4 November the Chancellor had £4.2 billion of headroom before those policy choices were accounted for, meaning that she would have a deficit of £2.7 billion before any additional headroom was built.

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

My Lords, we have had much discussion of the process in these questions so far, but can my noble friend the Minister remind the House that it is the substance of the Budget that matters much more for families and businesses throughout this country? The doubling of the headroom in the OBR has allowed the Government to provide for financial resilience in the country, which has been welcomed by the markets, because they understand that that is a vital ingredient for a stable and strong economy.

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am very grateful to my noble friend for reminding us that, at the end of the day, it is the substance of the Budget that matters. It is worth reminding ourselves what the Budget and the Chancellor achieved. She cut energy bills by £150, cut NHS waiting lists, cut child poverty, cut inflation and cut borrowing every year, faster than any other G7 economy. She more than doubled the headroom and protected record investment, and she supported faster cuts in interest rates.

GDP Per Capita

Debate between Lord Livermore and Baroness Curran

Monday 20th October 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Curran (Lab)]

My Lords, can my noble friend the Minister explain to the House the role of record levels of public investment and how they contribute to economic growth? In his answer, lest we forget, can he remind the House of the financial legacy that we inherited from the last Government—particularly the amount of the financial black hole?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

My noble friend is very generous in inviting me to mention the £22 billion black hole. She is correct that capital spending is a significant driver of growth in our economy. The OBR estimates that the increases in capital spending that we have seen have increased growth by 0.14% over five years, 0.43% over 10 years and 1.4% in the long term. It is very regrettable that the party opposite opposes those capital spending plans.