Oral Answers to Questions

Karl McCartney Excerpts

Tuesday 8th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Osborne]

The right hon. Gentleman clearly had a lot of time to prepare that, but I am not sure it all came out as he expected. We have had to deal with his economic legacy and he is running away from his past. He was the City Minister who knighted Fred Goodwin. He is the economic adviser whose fiscal policy has led to fiscal disaster. He is the leadership candidate who, for reasons of political positioning, denies the deficit. The truth is this: we have a plan to clear up his mess. He has no plan at all.

[Karl MᶜCartney (Lincoln) (Con)]

2. What progress he has made in reforming the tripartite system of financial regulation.

[Jane Ellison (Battersea) (Con)]

3. What progress he has made in reforming the tripartite system of financial regulation.

--- Later in debate ---

[Karl MᶜCartney]

Does my right hon. Friend regret the fact that the system of financial regulation, which was drawn up by the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls), failed to prevent the greatest financial crisis in our country in living memory?

[Mr Osborne]

Of course I regret it, because we are all having to deal with the consequences. We still do not know—the legislation will come before the House of Commons—whether the Opposition support changing the system of regulation that was established by the right hon. Member for Morley and Outwood (Ed Balls) in 1997. I guess we will find out. The Government are clear—we must fix the system of regulation that went so badly wrong, and we believe that giving the Bank of England the lead responsibility on that will help.