The Chancellor spoke for over 50 minutes – but not once did he mention the real reason for this Spending Review today: his comprehensive failure on living standards, growth and on the deficit too.
Prices rising faster than wages.
Families worse off.
Long-term unemployment up.
Welfare spending soaring.
The economy flatlining.
The slowest recovery for over 100 years.
And the result of this failure?
For all the Budget boasts, borrowing last year not down but up.
Not balancing the books as he promised, but in 2015 a deficit of £96 billion.
More borrowing to pay for his economic failure.
That is why this Chancellor has been forced to come to the House today and to make more cuts to our public services.
So Mr Speaker, let me ask the Chancellor:
Does he recall what he said to this House two years ago?
He said: “We have already asked the British people for what is needed, and… we do not need to ask for more.
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