Contributions
1,178 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEconomic UpdateAbsolutely, and only a couple of weeks ago I was sitting in a café in Cheltenham having a cold sandwich with my hon. Friend. I want to thank him for his incredible articulacy in…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI understand why the hon. Gentleman has asked the question. I believe that wealthier people should pay more as we go through a difficult period, but the mechanism of the cap, with…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateThat is a very important point. We have an issue in that we need our companies to invest more in R&D. We have a fantastic opportunity to be the world’s next silicon valley, with…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI am delighted that someone from the SNP is worried about the value of the pound, which I think shows that it matters to all of us. I would say to the hon. Gentleman, in all…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI would be delighted to accept my hon. Friend’s invitation. He might not want to tell me what he would like as a christening present for his daughter, because I now have a…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateA general election would not contribute to stability if people had to worry about the disastrous policies of a future Labour Government.17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI hear my hon. Friend. The hospitality industry is incredibly important to our economy. I have two things to say. As he knows, we are reviewing the whole structure of alcohol…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI entirely understand the concerns about second home ownership, and the Government have been looking at that policy in enormous detail over recent months. However, I gently say to…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateAbsolutely. I am very pleased that my right hon. Friend has made that point. We should remember that Putin’s gain is to try to turn economic instability into political…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI am afraid that I do not accept at all the hon. Member’s analysis of why those problems happened, but I do not deny that we have had some issues with pension funds. I point him…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateMy hon. Friend will be pleased to know that I have already had extensive discussions with my Treasury officials about the needs of energy-intensive industries and we are very well…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateWe are taking difficult decisions, and we will do whatever it takes to restore economic stability. That is the biggest single thing we can do.17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateThe hon. Lady will find out in two weeks.17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateIt will. It is not just my responsibility, but that of the whole Government. Good government is about fixing long-term issues as well as dealing with short-term crises, and that…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI respect the right hon. Gentleman for pressing me on that issue, because I understand how important it is. The reason I am not able to give him the answer he seeks is that I am…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI ran a small technology business for 14 years, so that is very much where my heart is. There is a massive opportunity for the UK to create something a bit like the City of…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI will just say this: it is the most challenging form of leadership to accept that a decision one has made has to be changed. The Prime Minister has done that, and she has done so…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI will absolutely give that assurance. My hon. Friend’s own background is in mental health and he understands just how vulnerable people can get. Those concerns will be topmost in…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateUntil the hon. Gentleman got to the end bit, I was going to say that that sounded like the question I should have been asking the previous Chancellor as Chair of the Health and…17 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomic UpdateI absolutely do, and I think that there are many economists, such as Paul Johnson, who would say that if we really want the productivity, levels of wealth and prosperity of places…17 Oct 2022