Amendment of the Law

Ed Balls Excerpts

Monday 26th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Danny Alexander]

No, I will not give way. I will make some progress.

[Ed Balls (Morley and Outwood) (Lab/Co-op)]

Will the Chief Secretary give way?

[Danny Alexander]

I will give way to the shadow Chancellor.

[Ed Balls]

Will the Chief Secretary explain why it is fair to take away the personal allowance from low and middle-income pensioners and soon-to-be pensioners—people aged 59, 60 and 61—when he is giving a £10,000 tax cut to existing taxpayers on incomes above £150,000?

[Danny Alexander]

I will take no lessons on the treatment of elderly people from the man who was responsible for the 75p increase in the basic state pension.

[Ed Balls]

Will the right hon. Gentleman give way?

[Danny Alexander]

Go on then—one more time.

[Ed Balls]

Will the Chief Secretary explain to the House how it is consistent with Liberal Democrat values to give a tax cut to existing top rate taxpayers worth, on average, £10,000 each? How is that fair?

[Danny Alexander]

So not one word of apology for the 75p increase in the basic state pension, not one word of apology for the mess that he and his colleagues left this country’s economy in—[Interruption]—and not one word of recognition that the costs of reducing the 50p rate are paid for more than five times over by other measures that impact on the wealthy.