Living Standards

Andrew Percy Excerpts
Wednesday 30th November 2011

(12 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Liam Byrne Portrait Mr Byrne
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And this is a Government, of course, who have brought forward plans to borrow another £158 billion —a bill that, ultimately, will be paid by the rest of us. It is a bill for economic failure.

Andrew Percy Portrait Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)
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May I take the shadow Secretary of State back to the subject of youth unemployment? Doubtless the previous Government did some very good things in that area—they did some very bad things as well—but does he admit that the present situation was not created overnight? When Labour left office there was an upward trend in unemployment—[Interruption.] For youth unemployment, there was an upward trend from 2004. Does he accept that under Labour the number of children brought up in workless families hit record levels and the gap between the best performing and the worst performing schools widened? What he is saying is political knockabout, but this is a long-term issue, which deserves to be treated seriously.

Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Lindsay Hoyle)
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Order. Interventions are getting longer, and a lot of Members wish to speak. Please let us not use up the time on interventions.