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Harman v Hague: jobless figures

By Channel 4 News

Updated on 17 December 2008

With Gordon Brown in Iraq, Harriet Harman steps up to the dispatch box on the day new unemployment figures are released.

Harman v Hague

William Hague asked the questions for the Conservative party.

He started by welcoming the plans to arrest of Tory front-bencherwithdraw troops from Iraq which the prime minister will announce on his return, but said "we were surprised that since this news relating to national security was leaked by the government last week, no one has since been arrested" - a reference to the arrest of Tory front-bencher Damian Green.

"Across the house, Mr Speaker, we salute the work of the British forces in Iraq. They will have been there for longer than six years - a deployment longer than the entire second world war," he said, calling for a "full-scale, independent enquiry into the origins and conduct of the war."

Harman agreed with the statements supporting the work of British troops, but said that "the prime minister has said that there will be no further enquiries until our troops are all returning home."

"The troops are now going to be returning home," responded Hague "and it is time for this announcement to be made."



He then moved on to the unemployment figures released this morning. "We've been pointing out that the big problem is even viable businesses can't get the loans they need. Will the government now accept the urgent need to get money into the hands of the businesses of this country?"

"Any time anyone loses their job, that is a terrible blow for them," said Harman. "That is why we are stepping up government action."


"At Christmas time we are not just meant to get repeats, and that is all we are getting from the government today."
William Hague, Conservative party

"He is right that small businesses are the lifeblood of enterprise and employment in this country, and that is why we recapitalised the banks to stabilise the banking system and that's why in January we will be setting up a new small business loan guarantee scheme."

"Things are actually getting harder for households and businesses who want to borrow at the moment," returned Hague. "Is it not now clear that the government's policies have failed so far?"

"We are taking action to protect people who become unemployed," said Harman, adding that the Tories did not support the recapitalisation of the banks.

"Mr Speaker, this side of the House did not oppose the recapitalisation of the banks," countered Hague.

"Of the measures announced to help unemployed people today which is £158m, will she confirm that £58m is being taken from another programme already supposed to help train people, and the other £100m is exactly what she announced two months ago the last time she and I did prime minister's questions.

"At Christmas time we are not just meant to get repeats, and that is all we are getting from the government today."

He went on to say "this house is not going to be sitting for nearly a month. How many more people are going to lose their jobs while the government dithers about introducing this scheme?"


"We'd rather have superman leading our party than have a party led by a joker."
Harriet Harman, Labour Party

Harman replied saying "not only are they failing to back the action that we're taking to support people who have become unemployed, but they announced last week a policy which would make matters worse."

"This is a say anything, spin anything, achieve nothing government," retorted Hague. "Isn't it time for the government to concede that that temporary reduction in VAT, universally derided at home and abroad, has not been the answer and getting credit moving to the businesses of the country would be part of the answer to this recession."

Harman gave a two-point answer saying "not to talk down confidence and not to talk down the economy" and "as well as having interest rates cut, to ensure that we have a fiscal boost to the economy."

"We cannot have lectures about talking down confidence from a cabinet one of whose members said this week that 'we are facing a recession deeper than any we have ever known'," responded Hague.

"If this is the prime minister saving the world, God help us when he moves onto the rest of the solar system," he exclaimed. "How many people have to lose their jobs before the prime minister justifiably loses his own?"

"We'd rather have superman leading our party than have a party led by a joker," Harman retorted, leading to several seconds of heckling that prevented her from carrying on.

Harman v Cable

Vince Cable, stepping in for Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg, focused on the housing market.


"It has been confirmed that housing starts this year are at the lowest level since Ramsey McDonald led the Labour administration in 1924."
Vince Cable, Liberal Democrat

"It has been confirmed that housing starts this year are at the lowest level since Ramsey MacDonald led the Labour administration in 1924," he said, leading a heckler to ask if he remembered the time.

"Honourable members opposite ought to remember," he said. "They are in danger of repeating that history."

"We are very concerned about the housing situation," responded Harman. "That is why we are going to bring forward capital investment rather than cut it or postpone it," and reiterated plans to support people needing to defer mortgage payments.

"It is an amazingly complacent answer," Cable stated. "The investment is not happening because the housing associations are bust and the Treasury is imposing a crippling funding formula on them, and the housing repossession policy is reaching less than one in ten of people in housing arrears."

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