Local Growth Deals Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Local Growth Deals

Sarah Newton Excerpts
Monday 7th July 2014

(9 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Greg Clark Portrait Greg Clark
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My hon. Friend is nothing if not tenacious. She has had a city deal, she has had a growth deal and now she wants another one. I have said that we will reopen negotiations, and it sounds as though Oxfordshire will be first in the queue.

Sarah Newton Portrait Sarah Newton (Truro and Falmouth) (Con)
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I congratulate my right hon. Friend because he has truly reached parts of England that the last Labour Government failed to reach. The commitment of hundreds of millions of pounds to Cornwall today is really welcome, but does he agree that the power shift from Whitehall to Cornwall is equally vital because it ensures that local decisions can be made for the benefit of our local economy?

Greg Clark Portrait Greg Clark
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. She is a great champion of Cornwall. It is crazy to try to run a place as distinctive as Cornwall from Whitehall and Westminster. Quite apart from the investment that is being made, we are giving a big vote of confidence to Cornwall and its ability to run its own affairs. I am delighted to be doing that.