The Economy

Debate between Alec Shelbrooke and Priti Patel

Wednesday 22nd June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Priti Patel]

I will take one intervention, from my hon. Friend there.

[Alec Shelbrooke]

I am most grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way. Labour Members like to harp on about the ’80s, but if we are going to go that far back in history, let us go back to the ’70s, when again a Labour Government completely bankrupted the country. They have learned nothing.

[Priti Patel]

I thank my hon. Friend for that comment. The 1970s was also the era of strikes, and as we all know, strikes cost jobs, they do not create them. Before last year’s Budget, we had the deepest recession, record rates of job losses, and national debt increasing to a peacetime record—