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Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation

I am listening to the hon. Gentleman's argument with care, but will he help me on one point? Is it not the case that in the early days of the Prime Minister's chancellorship, the expansion of employment in the public sector happened on the back of rising tax receipts, many of which came from the expanding financial sector and because of the success of the private economy? The public sector was therefore happy to accept the fruits of growth, and the hon. Gentleman's attempts to dissociate himself from the consequences of profligacy seem to fly in the face of reality.