EU Council

Karen Bradley Excerpts

Monday 12th December 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I think that business does understand that we must be in the European Union for trade, growth and jobs, and that our membership of the single market is key. However, there is a lot of damaging regulation coming from Brussels and we need to stand up to that. When new treaties are suggested that involve huge fiscal changes and other changes in the European Union, it is right that Britain should seek safeguards. I am not hearing the same message from business that the hon. Gentleman is hearing.

[Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) (Con)]

We have heard much this afternoon about the number of people who are employed in financial services. More than 2,000 of those jobs are located in my constituency. Can the Prime Minister reassure those employees that the action that he took last week was in their interests and that it will safeguard their jobs and not put them at unnecessary risk?

[The Prime Minister]

I can certainly do that. My hon. Friend makes the important point that this is an industry that is based around the country and not just in London. However, the protections of the single market go far beyond the financial services industry.

G20

Karen Bradley Excerpts

Monday 7th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

We all have to be careful not to speculate on other countries, but the requirement of those who are lending money to Italy is a clear and consistent plan for Italy getting on top of its debts and deficit. When they see that, interest rates will come back down again. However, that is a lesson to any country that if they do not have credibility in the markets, their interest rates can go up quite quickly.

[Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) (Con)]

Does the Prime Minister agree that the UK already has a financial transactions tax—one that raises around £3 billion a year? It is just that we call it stamp duty.

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. One point that Bill Gates made to me is that if other European countries introduce stamp duty on shares, they might find that they can get to the 0.7% of GDP that they are meant to be giving in overseas development assistance without having a financial transactions tax. If they care about overseas development, as this Government do, that might be quite a good answer.

Public Confidence in the Media and Police

Karen Bradley Excerpts

Wednesday 20th July 2011 Commons Chamber

[The Prime Minister]

I will have to look very closely at what the right hon. Gentleman said, but the point that I made—I have never seen any evidence to go against it—is that in the period that Andy Coulson worked at No. 10 Downing street as head of communications, there was no complaint about the way he did his job. I fully accept that I take responsibility for employing him. I take responsibility for that decision, and I have laid out very clearly today what I think of that now, and all that has been learned. You have to learn these lessons if you are to go on and get things right for the future. What I would say in my defence is that in the time he spent in Downing street, he did not behave in a way that anyone felt was inappropriate, and that is important, because the decision was to employ him. The decision was then his to leave. During that period, people cannot point to misconduct and say, “That, therefore, was a misjudgment.”

[Karen Bradley (Staffordshire Moorlands) (Con)]

Many constituents have contacted me regarding this important issue, and they will join me in welcoming the statement today, but many others have been in touch concerning other important issues, such as the crisis in the eurozone and the situation in the horn of Africa. Will the Prime Minister reassure my constituents that the Government are dealing with all issues, and not simply focusing on phone hacking?

[The Prime Minister]

My hon. Friend is right: people do want us to get on with the other issues, particularly at a time when we need the economy to grow, we need to provide more jobs, and we have got to get to grips with problems with the cost of living. They want to see reforms in welfare and immigration. Yes, they want us to deal with this issue, but they want us to keep a perspective and a balance, and get on with many of the issues that this country needs to deal with.