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Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

I was interested to hear what the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr. Clarke) had to say. It sounded to me that he wished he was in a position to deliver what the Chancellor is delivering. There is nothing wrong with admiring the Chancellor. In fact, the hon. and learned Gentleman has had his admirers. When he said that he thought the Chancellor was average, could he have been describing himself? He mentioned the Prison Service, for example, and prisons are pretty full, but I remember when Lord Ferris was in Stoke Aldermoor in Coventry—his attitude was ““bang them up””. That was the attitude of the ex-Chancellor’s Government and the general attitude to law and order. Under the stewardship of the previous Government, we certainly remember the lack of policemen, whereas this Government have increased police numbers. We can debate whether they are at the right or wrong levels, but we have increased the numbers of policemen on the streets, just as we have increased the number of wardens and assistant police officers on the streets, particularly in the inner cities. The right hon. and learned Gentleman mentioned opinion polls. Well, he alleged that this side of the House is obsessed with them, but his new leader is also obsessed by opinion polls and image. Reductions in tax were mentioned, so let me remind the right hon. and learned Gentleman about debates on 17 per cent. VAT on fuel. We had many a debate in the Chamber on a Friday morning about the £10 winter allowance, which the previous Government did not do much to put up. We should also remember the Conservative Government’s record on the pensions link—they actually broke the link. To hear Conservative Members on their high horses tonight, nodding their heads when people talk about restoring the link, is, quite frankly, nothing short of hypocrisy when they were the party that took it away.