Northern Rock

Matt Hancock Excerpts

Monday 21st November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. As I said to the hon. Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma), I understand that there are very strong feelings and effects on constituencies on these occasions, but the hon. Member for Blyth Valley (Mr Campbell) must not chant a chorus from a sedentary position—or even, for that matter, from a standing position. We are grateful to him for his views when he is called to speak.

[Matthew Hancock (West Suffolk) (Con)]

Is not the argument that we should hold on to Northern Rock for a few more years in the hope that the price will go up just a punt on the stock market, and is that not exactly the sort of attitude that got us into this mess in the first place?

[Mr Hoban]

My hon. Friend is right. The mentality that, hopefully, something will turn up seemed to guide the Labour party when it was in government, and we are now trying to pick up the pieces of the mess they left behind.