Oral Answers to Questions

Peter Bedford Excerpts

Wednesday 23rd October 2024 Commons Chamber

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend, and I pay tribute to those who work with children with special educational needs and disabilities. I myself have my amazing son, who does tremendously well given the challenges he has faced in life. I know from personal experience that the system is just not working for children and families. Future funding decisions will need to be taken as part of the upcoming spending review, but we will work with the sector to deliver our shared mission and restore parents’ trust.

[Mr Peter Bedford (Mid Leicestershire) (Con)]

Q3. Just three months into this Labour Government, we have seen brutal cuts to support for pensioners and the taxing of education, and just this week we have seen £5 billion of additional pressure put on British businesses. Why do this Government have such a problem with aspiration?

[The Deputy Prime Minister]

The hon. Member might not have been in this place—I welcome him to his place now—in the last Parliament, but it was his Government who left the £22 billion black hole, his Government who left us with the biggest housing crisis, his Government who crashed the economy and his Government who saw inflation go to 11%, where pensioners were worse off than they are now.