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Comprehensive Spending Review

There is a fundamental difference between us and the Government on how to deal with the deficit. There is no difference over the principle that we have to deal with it—of course, we have to. Our view is that it was caused by the international banking crisis and most of our constituents would agree. Of course we have to deal with the deficit. The difference between us is that we think the deficit is being cut too deeply and too quickly. I think that some members of the Government—I do not say this of the Secretary of State—may be using the argument that they have to deal with the deficit in that way as a cover for the ideology of their own party.