European Council

Huw Irranca-Davies Excerpts

Monday 17th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I fear that the Annunciator is rather over-excited. I can assume only that it has not yet become accustomed, as I have not, to the spectacle of the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies) using an iPad in the Chamber. It is quite a remarkable state of affairs on which he is, of course, to be congratulated.

[Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)]

I ask the Prime Minister: on actual, tangible economic growth, how is it going?

[The Prime Minister]

In the last quarter the British economy grew by 1%, the fastest growth of any major country in the European Union. Clearly, though, right across Europe there are immense growth challenges. The eurozone is back in recession. What we see with the British economy, despite all the difficulties, is that there are over 1 million extra people in private sector jobs compared with when we came into office.