Oral Answers to Questions

Elfyn Llwyd Excerpts

Wednesday 21st July 2010 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I am grateful for that question from my hon. Friend. She is well known for her outstanding record as a champion for older people prior to coming to the House, and I am sure all Members on both sides of the House share her concern that all older people, regardless of whether they live in their own homes, sheltered accommodation or residential care homes, can live in those settings with real dignity. That is one reason why we have just announced that there will be an independent commission to consider how we can ensure affordable and sustainable funding for care and support for all adults in England, and I hope my hon. Friend will be able to make her views and expertise available to that commission.

[Mr Elfyn Llwyd (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)]

In his keynote Guardian interview on 10 July, the Deputy Prime Minister said:

“I am a revolutionary but”—

[Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) (Lab)]

But he’s turned full circle.

[Mr Llwyd]

Indeed. The Deputy Prime Minister said:

“I am a revolutionary but I am also a pragmatist”.

When he suddenly agreed to raise VAT, was he being a revolutionary pragmatist or a pragmatic revolutionary?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

No one on the Government Benches took lightly the decision to raise VAT, but did we know before we went into government that the structural deficit was £12 billion higher? Did we know that the Labour Government had announced £50 billion of cuts but not told people what that actually meant in practice? Could anyone have predicted the economic firestorm in Europe? Perhaps the hon. Gentleman can tell me why the former Chancellor advocated an increase in VAT but was blocked by the then Prime Minister. The former Chancellor knew it was the right thing to do; the rest of his party stopped him.