Kerry McCarthy
Main Page: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)Department Debates - View all Kerry McCarthy's debates with the Scotland Office
(10 years, 3 months ago)
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The Prime Minister
I am always delighted to visit Tamworth, not least to pay homage to the statue of Sir Robert Peel. I would be happy to go back and do that. What my hon. Friend says about the manufacturing revival is important, because we really can see it now in the west midlands, with the news from Jaguar Land Rover, the new engine plant that is opening up, and also what he says about BMW. One in four BMWs, I think, now has a British-made engine. That is great news for what we want to see: more jobs making things, more jobs exporting things, and a manufacturing revival in the UK.
Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)
Q10. Speaking for myself, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol South (Dawn Primarolo) and the people of Bristol, whom Tony Benn served so well for 30 years, may I join in paying tribute to him and expressing condolences to his family? Tony Benn was from a very privileged background, yet he spent his political life fighting for the working people. With a cost of living crisis, wages falling by £1,600 a year, people queuing at food banks and so much that requires the Prime Minister’s attention, why does he seem so obsessed with plans to bring back fox hunting by the back door for the benefit of a privileged few?
The Prime Minister
I join the hon. Lady in paying tribute to Tony Benn as a constituency MP. He was always an incredibly busy Back Bencher and Minister, but he never forgot about his constituents. He was also very good with a friendly, helpful word for new Back Benchers, whatever side of the House they happened to be on. I am sure that, like me, many Members experienced that from him.
In terms of what we are doing to help the poorest in our country, the most important thing is getting people back to work. We have now seen 1.7 million new private sector jobs under this Government, and that is the best way of helping people sustainably out of poverty. As they come out of poverty, they will see a higher minimum wage, and also the ability to earn more money before they pay any taxes at all. Those are the Government’s priorities, that is our long-term plan, and that is what people are going to hear about.