Amendment of the Law

Ronnie Campbell Excerpts

Monday 28th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Ronnie Campbell (Blyth Valley) (Lab)]

Let me start by saying that I did not recognise the Secretary of State’s position. In my county of Northumberland, we have just cut £44 million, with more to be cut next year and hundreds of people sacked throughout the United Kingdom, and we have cut services—or, if we have not cut them, we have charged people for them. Unfortunately, he never mentioned that, so I thought that I would put that one to right.

Let me talk about the enterprise zones. We have seen them in the north-east, where we had them last time, under Thatcher—they were called “Thatcher zones”. Although they were partially successful, they were not all successful. I would say that, at a good guess, most of them stood empty. They were not filled by anyone—in fact, anyone who went around the north Tyneside and Newcastle area today would find that a lot of the buildings are still empty.

[Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)]

Is my hon. Friend aware that during the period of the last enterprise zone in Newcastle, there was a jobs increase of only 0.7%, whereas in eight years of the last Labour Government, there was an increase of 18%?

[Mr Campbell]

Of course that is right, and that is part of my point. I would like the zones to be targeted in unemployment blackspots, which we have in the north-east. Unfortunately for Blyth Valley and Wansbeck—my hon. Friend the Member for Wansbeck (Ian Lavery) is not here—those zones did not come into our areas. If they are going to be in Tyneside, we have to get the people from our area into Tyneside, but the only transport we have is buses and people’s private cars—we have a rail link, but we do not have a train on it. If we target those blackspots, the enterprise zones might see some success.

Let me turn quickly to what I have heard since this Government came to power about how the last Government are to blame for the mess we are in. We hear all the time—we have heard it this evening—about the bankers’ mess, and that is indeed what I would call it: the bankers’ mess. The one thing that we never hear from the Government Benches is any criticism of the banks and the crisis that the bankers put us in. This country was going on wheels until 2008, when the bankers created the crisis. Government Members are not blaming the last Labour Government for the crisis in America, the crisis in Greece, the crisis in Spain, the crisis in Portugal or the crisis in Ireland. They are not blaming the Labour Government for all that—or would they in fact want to blame them for it?

I will tell the House why Government Members are not blaming the bankers: because since the Prime Minister was selected as a candidate for the leadership of the Tory party, the City has put £42 million into the Tory coffers to fight elections. That is why we do not hear anything from the Government side about the banks. That is why the banks and the bonuses are allowed to flourish, because the Tories are in the pay of the bankers. Make no mistake about it: that is a fact. The fact is that the Conservatives are in their pockets, and the banks are in their pockets.

[Andrew Bridgen]

rose—

[Andrea Leadsom (South Northamptonshire) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Campbell]

No, I am not going to give way; I do not have time.

What happens when the Conservatives are in the pockets of the banks? Where does the bill for the bankers’ crisis fall? Yes, you’ve got it: it falls on the working people of this country. We are seeing that now, with sackings all over the place and wages cut.

[Andrea Leadsom]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way. Does he recognise the fact that 1 million people in this country are employed by those banks in one way or another, in financial services, accounting for 3.5% of employed people in total? Is he blaming all those individuals?

[Mr Campbell]

I am blaming the bankers for the way they invested their money in the crisis that they caused. They caused it—they knew what they were doing, and they will all say that. They all came to the Treasury Committee and apologised, if the hon. Lady remembers.

As I was saying, the bill for all this falls squarely on the working people of this country, with the sackings that we have seen and the wage cuts. Wages are 2.2% below the average. That is what they are: they are not above. In fact, we had to take a pay cut ourselves last week. We all did it, and most of them on the Government Benches are in the pay of somebody—some board or some consultancy—so they will be all right when they get a pay increase from them.

What else is being cut? Pensions are being cut. Look at the furore. I am sure that hon. Members have had letters from servicemen, policemen, teachers and local government workers about their pensions. The Government are murdering their pensions, and what are they doing about it? Absolutely nothing. The Government are going to sink them with their pensions—[Interruption.] Never mind looking at my lot: your lot are in power. They are in charge, and they have to deliver the pensions that those people are entitled to have.

We can go even further, because we can look at those who are in their pockets—the pockets of Government Members—who also evade tax. There is £16 billion out there in evaded tax, with people running off to the Cayman islands, or some island where they can put their money under a sack and hide it. That is what is happening today. What are the Government doing about it? Absolutely nothing. They will tax the people of this country, but they will not tax those who run away to another country to put their money in a sack. That is what they will do, and they always have.

Then there is the argument that there was no money. That’s funny—we had £7 billion to give to Ireland when Ireland went under. Why, we saw the Chancellor jumping up at that Dispatch Box and saying, “Not a problem, Ireland. We’ve got plenty of money—there’s £7 billion,” yet we kept being told that there was no money. Now what have we got? We have got this Libya crisis. Not a problem for Britain. Tomahawk missile? Not a problem, even when one Tomahawk missile costs £900,000, and we are firing them left, right and centre. That is another expense for the British people. Ministers are not saying anything about that at the Dispatch Box, but I am waiting for it, and it may come.

[Several hon. Members]

rose—