Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Osborne and Gareth Thomas

Tuesday 24th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Osborne]

The many thousands of people who are getting jobs in the hon. Lady’s area are better off, and of course—[Interruption.] Let me explain to the shadow Chancellor: if you bring the British economy to its knees, if you have the deepest recession for 100 years, if you preside over the biggest banking crisis in our history, you make this country poorer. But it is by fixing those problems, by working through our long-term economic plan, that we are going to make the country richer again.

[Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op)]

2. What recent assessment he has made of the level of bank lending to businesses since May 2010.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between George Osborne and Gareth Thomas

Tuesday 21st June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr George Osborne)]

As set out before, the core purpose of the Treasury is to ensure the stability of the economy, promote growth and jobs, reform banking and clear up the mess in the public finances that we inherited.

[Mr Thomas]

In Harrow, five police sergeant posts have been axed and Wealdstone police station is being closed. Is that the Chancellor’s fault for cutting public services too far and too fast, or should I blame Boris?

[Mr Osborne]

I blame the Labour Government. During the election campaign, the Labour Home Secretary said publicly on television that police numbers would have to be cut if Labour was re-elected.