Economic Policy Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Economic Policy

Nic Dakin Excerpts
Monday 25th February 2013

(11 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
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Frankly, the numbers the hon. Lady quotes are nonsense. The employment creation rate last year—perhaps we should give her some credit for saying last year—was the highest since 1989.

Nic Dakin Portrait Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)
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Does the Chancellor think that the loss of the UK’s credit rating is what the Prime Minister was thinking of when he said

“the good news will keep coming”?—[Official Report, 24 October 2012; Vol. 551, c. 917.]

George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
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Last week we had the good news that unemployment had fallen again and employment had gone up, and we had the forecasts from the European Commission. Although we would of course want UK growth to be higher, they show that it is actually forecast to be higher than that of France, Germany and many of our European neighbours. We are in a tough neighbourhood—it is a tough economic situation—but we are confronting our country’s economic problems.