Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Nick Thomas-Symonds

Tuesday 27th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

As the hon. Lady knows, the analysis to which she refers is based on standardised, off-the-shelf trade models. The Government are seeking a bespoke deal with the European Union to deliver a deep economic partnership, which would have a completely different set of outcomes. That remains our objective.

[Nick Thomas-Symonds (Torfaen) (Lab)]

11. What equality impact assessments his Department has undertaken on the Government’s policy on the public sector pay cap.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Hammond of Runnymede and Nick Thomas-Symonds

Tuesday 24th October 2017 Commons Chamber

[Mr Hammond]

My hon. Friend puts his finger on an important problem. Corporation tax in the UK—in fact, in all countries—is levied on profits generated by the activities of companies within the territory. The big global digital companies present us with a new challenge of attributing profits effectively to individual jurisdictions. We are continuing to work with the OECD’s taskforce on the digital economy, and we are also looking carefully at ideas emerging within the EU for interim solutions pending a full international solution.

[Nick Thomas-Symonds (Torfaen) (Lab)]

Given that the previous Chancellor has now said that in 2008 the Labour Government

“did what was necessary in a very difficult situation”,

does the current Chancellor accept that the fact we have thousands of people going to food banks and desperately underpaid public sector workers is entirely the fault of Tory policy?

[Mr Hammond]

No. Of course a Government need to be able to respond to an external shock, but a prudent Government have got the economy in good shape to respond before such a shock arises. The problem in 2008-09 was that the then Labour Government were borrowing tens of billions of pounds at the top of the economic cycle—grossly irresponsibly.