Andrew Miller, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston has today expressed his fears for the UK economy.  Speaking after the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement Mr Miller said:

“Today we have found out that the Government’s economic plan has completely backfired.  Families, pensioners and businesses know it’s hurting, but today we’ve found out that it isn’t working either.  The Government is set to borrow a staggering £158 billion more than they planned a year ago – the bill for the economic failure, higher unemployment and bigger benefits costs their failed plan have created.

“Like every other country we’ve got to get our deficit down and that means tough decisions on tax and spending cuts.  As Labour and others warned a year ago, if you try and cut spending and raise taxes too far and too fast you risk making things worse not better; and today George Osborne has been forced to admit that we are right.

“When Labour left office the economy was growing strongly and unemployment was falling, but it’s now rising again.   In the last three months unemployment has gone up by 129,000 to 2.62 million – the highest level for 17 years.

“Not content with rising unemployment Chancellor George Osborne proposes to take money out of the regional economy by imposing pay cuts on public sector workers in the North of England.  He spelt out for the first time a view expressed by many Tories that there should be regional pay differentials in the Public Sector.  This would mean overall income in areas like the North West would fall, impacting upon the many low paid people in the retail and service economies.  It also means that over time key workers in health and education will, not unreasonably, go where the money is, thus meaning that once again regions like ours will suffer.

“Change to current vital environmental regulations proposed by the Chancellor may also affect us locally especially at our RSPB sanctuary in Burton.   We must be sure to resist unrestrained growth being allowed to trample over our precious natural environment. 

“We need a real plan for jobs and growth. Labour’s five point plan for jobs includes a temporary VAT cut to give families a £450 boost, tax breaks for small firms taking on extra workers and a tax on bank bonuses to fund 100,000 jobs for young people. We are determined to show there is a better way – to get our economy moving again, create jobs now, build a better economy for the future and so get the deficit down.”

Ends

29^th November 2011