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Economic Recovery

I am rather bemused by this debate. It needs to be understood that the subjects for topical debates on Thursdays are chosen by the Leader of the House—that is, by the Government. On Monday, my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) and I spoke in a full-day debate on employment and industry. Tragically, by halfway through that debate there were only three Labour Members in the Chamber. They included the Minister, the Parliamentary Private Secretary and the Whip on duty—in other words, no Labour Back Bencher was present for the debate. However, in the course a full day’s debate, at least four Labour MPs managed to speak. Today, unless something dramatic happens between now and the conclusion of this debate, not a single Labour MP will have come into the Chamber to support the Minister. I find that extraordinary. I suspect that we know why this debate has been held today: because between now and the first Thursday in May next year, the Government will be desperate to try to create some kind of litany to give the impression that a recovery is taking place. However, one would have thought that a much more appropriate subject for a topical debate today would be the future of Royal Mail and what is happening in the postal dispute.