Oral Answers to Questions

David Nuttall Excerpts

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

The only thing that this coalition Government have been “pushed into”—which is what the hon. Lady said—by Labour is rescuing the economy after the disastrous state that it was in. We had to pull the economy back from the brink because that is where Labour left it. We have had to do emergency surgery to the banks because Labour sucked up to the banks. We have had to fill the black hole in the public finances because Labour created it.

[Mr David Nuttall (Bury North) (Con)]

Q11. As you know, Mr Speaker, I am always anxious to be helpful, so in the spirit of friendly co-operation with our coalition partners, I have given advance notice of my question. Given that the Deputy Prime Minister is at the Dispatch Box today only because the Prime Minister is in China drumming up more orders for British business, can he please tell the House what the Common Market share of world trade was when the UK joined in 1973 and what the EU share of world trade is today?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

The EU share of world trade today I think is around 20%. I would merely say to my hon. Friend—in an equally friendly spirit to that in which I know the question was intended—that the Prime Minister has actually been advocating a new EU-China trade deal, precisely because the European Union remains, notwithstanding all the other changes in the world, a very powerful trading bloc on the world scene.