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Department: HM Treasury

Kelvin Hopkins

Main Page: Kelvin Hopkins (Independent - Luton North)

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Gangs and Youth Violence
Tuesday 1st November 2011

(13 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call Kelvin Hopkins.

Jesse Norman Portrait Jesse Norman (Hereford and South Herefordshire) (Con)
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7. What recent estimate he has made of the level of central Government debt.

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Kelvin Hopkins Portrait Kelvin Hopkins (Luton North) (Lab)
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In 1945, Britain had higher Government debt than now and the Government of that time did not impose cuts but ran a full-employment economy and there was rapid growth. Is it not time that the Government took a leaf out of Labour’s book in relation to running the economy?

David Gauke Portrait Mr Gauke
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May I just make the point about the 1945 Government that they were running surpluses from 1948 onwards? If memory serves, the debt in 1945 was 232% of GDP and by 1951 it was 178% of GDP, so they brought debt down. That is not a bad thing to do and this Government want to do it, whereas the Labour party wants to put debt up.

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