Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: HM Treasury

Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Fallon Excerpts
Tuesday 21st December 2010

(13 years, 10 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Michael Fallon Portrait Michael Fallon (Sevenoaks) (Con)
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Does my right hon. Friend not agree that the record borrowing figures announced today simply serve to underline the seriousness of the situation to which the spending review was addressed, as well as the importance of sticking to the fiscal plan that has been agreed and not deviating from it in the slightest?

George Osborne Portrait Mr Osborne
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right. This country has a record budget deficit; that is the situation we have inherited. We have made some in-year reductions, which have made it slightly less worse this year than it otherwise would have been, and then we have measures next year to try to bring the budget deficit down. Every one of those measures has been opposed by Opposition Front Benchers. They have put forward not a single plan, not a single proposal, to reduce the budget deficit, but our proposals have provided this country with economic stability, in a very unstable European continent.