I can absolutely do that. May I thank my hon. Friend for the work he does to further the cause of co-operatives and mutuals? When I was Economic Secretary, I very much enjoyed working with the sector, because building societies often offer more innovative products—to first-time buyers in particular—and do...

I can absolutely do that. May I thank my hon. Friend for the work he does to further the cause of co-operatives and mutuals? When I was Economic Secretary, I very much enjoyed working with the sector, because building societies often offer more innovative products—to first-time buyers in particular—and do...

The rhetoric might have changed a bit under the new Prime Minister, but it seems that we have a continuity Chancellor on the policy front. The Minister talks about the failures of privatisation, but where is the action to bring water back into public hands? She talks about the need...

The rhetoric might have changed a bit under the new Prime Minister, but it seems that we have a continuity Chancellor on the policy front. The Minister talks about the failures of privatisation, but where is the action to bring water back into public hands? She talks about the need...

I do not believe in trashing nature and the climate either, but if we want to tackle climate change, we cannot stop every renewable project from going ahead, which is what the Greens would have us do, just as they would prevent the building of new nuclear power.

I do not believe in trashing nature and the climate either, but if we want to tackle climate change, we cannot stop every renewable project from going ahead, which is what the Greens would have us do, just as they would prevent the building of new nuclear power.

My right hon. Friend talked about good growth in every postcode, which I welcome, as well as the £150 million scheme with the British Business Bank, but there was nothing for the midlands, which was ironic given where the Chancellor delivered his speech. The truth is, the midlands is being...

My right hon. Friend talked about good growth in every postcode, which I welcome, as well as the £150 million scheme with the British Business Bank, but there was nothing for the midlands, which was ironic given where the Chancellor delivered his speech. The truth is, the midlands is being...

May I reassure my hon. Friend? One of our trailblazer projects in the place-based business cases is with Birmingham, which is obviously the beating heart of the west midlands.

May I reassure my hon. Friend? One of our trailblazer projects in the place-based business cases is with Birmingham, which is obviously the beating heart of the west midlands.

The Chancellor promised growth in every postcode, which must include rural communities such as Glastonbury and Somerton, and not just our cities and towns, yet rural England’s productivity sits at just 69% of the non-rural rate, costing our economy billions in lost revenue every year. That is not just a...

The Chancellor promised growth in every postcode, which must include rural communities such as Glastonbury and Somerton, and not just our cities and towns, yet rural England’s productivity sits at just 69% of the non-rural rate, costing our economy billions in lost revenue every year. That is not just a...

The hon. Member will know that rural communities are close to my heart, given my previous ministerial role and because I have a semi-rural constituency. There is huge potential in rural communities. The Prime Minister visited rural Cornwall in his first few weeks in the job. We will do more,...

The hon. Member will know that rural communities are close to my heart, given my previous ministerial role and because I have a semi-rural constituency. There is huge potential in rural communities. The Prime Minister visited rural Cornwall in his first few weeks in the job. We will do more,...

Too often decisions have been made in Westminster with an assumption that investment, opportunity and growth flow naturally to the south, but in reality Portsmouth has been ignored and faces real pressure on housing, transport and education. Will the Minister work with me to ensure that my city and the...

Too often decisions have been made in Westminster with an assumption that investment, opportunity and growth flow naturally to the south, but in reality Portsmouth has been ignored and faces real pressure on housing, transport and education. Will the Minister work with me to ensure that my city and the...

I can absolutely give my hon. Friend that reassurance. The Government are intent on driving good growth and job creation opportunities across the country—in the north, the south, the midlands and every other part, too.

I can absolutely give my hon. Friend that reassurance. The Government are intent on driving good growth and job creation opportunities across the country—in the north, the south, the midlands and every other part, too.

The Government insisted on applying the social time preference rate to the disastrous Chagos deal to make an appalling deal look slightly better. Will the Minister confirm that the changes she has announced today as part of her Green Book revision will increase the cost of that deal by £288...

The Government insisted on applying the social time preference rate to the disastrous Chagos deal to make an appalling deal look slightly better. Will the Minister confirm that the changes she has announced today as part of her Green Book revision will increase the cost of that deal by £288...

The Green Book discount rate is a tool of economic analysis. It does not change the cost of the deal.

The Green Book discount rate is a tool of economic analysis. It does not change the cost of the deal.

Will the Minister confirm that the reforms to judicial review of infrastructure will apply to the West Yorkshire mass transit project? Does she consider that project to be nationally significant infrastructure?

Will the Minister confirm that the reforms to judicial review of infrastructure will apply to the West Yorkshire mass transit project? Does she consider that project to be nationally significant infrastructure?

We are working with the mayor on that issue. Our colleagues will get back to you on that.

We are working with the mayor on that issue. Our colleagues will get back to you on that.

I am sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker.

I am sorry, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Sea Shanty café on Ynys Môn is desperate for hope. Paying 20% VAT is simply unsustainable. Hospitality is a major employer on the island, but our businesses are being squeezed by rising costs. Cutting VAT to 10% would be a quick win, driving growth by giving businesses some breathing...

The Sea Shanty café on Ynys Môn is desperate for hope. Paying 20% VAT is simply unsustainable. Hospitality is a major employer on the island, but our businesses are being squeezed by rising costs. Cutting VAT to 10% would be a quick win, driving growth by giving businesses some breathing...

The Prime Minister is clear that the hospitality sector is close to his heart. It is one that he worked closely with when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester. Earlier this summer we announced the business rate reductions for pubs, social clubs and live music venues, and we will go...

The Prime Minister is clear that the hospitality sector is close to his heart. It is one that he worked closely with when he was Mayor of Greater Manchester. Earlier this summer we announced the business rate reductions for pubs, social clubs and live music venues, and we will go...

The Minister will know from her previous ministerial role that the cost of fuel is the single most important business cost for rural businesses. I am not asking her to write the Budget today, but will she convey to the Chancellor the importance of continuing the fuel duty freeze for...

The Minister will know from her previous ministerial role that the cost of fuel is the single most important business cost for rural businesses. I am not asking her to write the Budget today, but will she convey to the Chancellor the importance of continuing the fuel duty freeze for...

As I outlined to the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke), it is right that we focus on rural communities as well as urban areas and city regions. I will convey that message to the Chancellor, but I will not be writing the Budget right now.

As I outlined to the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke), it is right that we focus on rural communities as well as urban areas and city regions. I will convey that message to the Chancellor, but I will not be writing the Budget right now.

The Government talk a lot about how they will create economic growth. There is no way for them just to legislate their way to growth; there are, however, plenty of ways to legislate against it, as small rural businesses in North Norfolk know only too well. Will the Minister tell...

The Government talk a lot about how they will create economic growth. There is no way for them just to legislate their way to growth; there are, however, plenty of ways to legislate against it, as small rural businesses in North Norfolk know only too well. Will the Minister tell...

As I said to the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke), we take the economic success of rural communities really seriously. We are improving connectivity, whether digital connectivity or local transport connectivity, to ensure that the areas are more successful, but there is obviously more to be done.

As I said to the hon. Member for Glastonbury and Somerton (Sarah Dyke), we take the economic success of rural communities really seriously. We are improving connectivity, whether digital connectivity or local transport connectivity, to ensure that the areas are more successful, but there is obviously more to be done.

For some years I have known the proprietor of a small to medium-sized aviation company that has come up with revolutionary aircraft designs with both civilian and military applications, but every time the Government of the day have ended up supporting the big operators in this field. How will the...

For some years I have known the proprietor of a small to medium-sized aviation company that has come up with revolutionary aircraft designs with both civilian and military applications, but every time the Government of the day have ended up supporting the big operators in this field. How will the...

The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise this issue. As I have said, we have given strategic steers to the public financial institutions to ensure that they are focusing on regional growth, and that is also about opening up opportunities for the kinds of businesses that he has mentioned.

The right hon. Gentleman is right to raise this issue. As I have said, we have given strategic steers to the public financial institutions to ensure that they are focusing on regional growth, and that is also about opening up opportunities for the kinds of businesses that he has mentioned.

The Chancellor has rightly identified trade frictions as a major impediment to economic growth. As a result of the Windsor framework, the internal market in the UK has been severely disrupted by EU-imposed restrictions on trade, which mean customs unions, mountains of paperwork and physical barriers. What steps does the...

The Chancellor has rightly identified trade frictions as a major impediment to economic growth. As a result of the Windsor framework, the internal market in the UK has been severely disrupted by EU-imposed restrictions on trade, which mean customs unions, mountains of paperwork and physical barriers. What steps does the...

I can reassure the right hon. Gentleman that when I was Environment Secretary I visited the port of Belfast and saw the kinds of checks that were going on there. The sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that we are negotiating with the EU will help to reduce that friction.

I can reassure the right hon. Gentleman that when I was Environment Secretary I visited the port of Belfast and saw the kinds of checks that were going on there. The sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that we are negotiating with the EU will help to reduce that friction.

The Chief Secretary talks about £150 million for investment in the north. How much of that funding is actual new capital expenditure from this Government, or is it simply a repackaged, reannounced sum of money for the north?

The Chief Secretary talks about £150 million for investment in the north. How much of that funding is actual new capital expenditure from this Government, or is it simply a repackaged, reannounced sum of money for the north?

It is money that already sits with the British Business Bank, but the change is the focus on the north, on scale-up businesses, to ensure that we unleash their growth potential. We are not announcing new funding; we never said we were.

It is money that already sits with the British Business Bank, but the change is the focus on the north, on scale-up businesses, to ensure that we unleash their growth potential. We are not announcing new funding; we never said we were.

Dewsbury and Batley is the capital of furniture, bed and upholstery manufacturing in the UK, but after Brexit it lost a lot of its export business. What are the Government going to do to support furniture, upholstery and supply chain manufacturers in Dewsbury and Batley as part of their investment...

Dewsbury and Batley is the capital of furniture, bed and upholstery manufacturing in the UK, but after Brexit it lost a lot of its export business. What are the Government going to do to support furniture, upholstery and supply chain manufacturers in Dewsbury and Batley as part of their investment...

The trade deals that we are doing, and also the reset of the relationship that we are taking forward with the EU, will bring down barriers with our biggest and closest market.

The trade deals that we are doing, and also the reset of the relationship that we are taking forward with the EU, will bring down barriers with our biggest and closest market.

The Minister cites our world-class universities and an ambition to double the number of UK unicorns that run frontier technologies such as quantum and AI, but does she recognise that those breakthroughs often come from the curiosity-driven frontier physics research in our universities, and that that research base now faces...

The Minister cites our world-class universities and an ambition to double the number of UK unicorns that run frontier technologies such as quantum and AI, but does she recognise that those breakthroughs often come from the curiosity-driven frontier physics research in our universities, and that that research base now faces...

UKRI—UK Research and Innovation —invests in that sort of research, and the Government will continue to do that through UKRI.

UKRI—UK Research and Innovation —invests in that sort of research, and the Government will continue to do that through UKRI.

I, too, am a bit concerned that the Minister is missing a page of her statement, because there has been no mention of the east midlands. The Prime Minister was right when he blamed Margaret Thatcher for picking winners and abandoning whole regions, and that appears to be happening to...

I, too, am a bit concerned that the Minister is missing a page of her statement, because there has been no mention of the east midlands. The Prime Minister was right when he blamed Margaret Thatcher for picking winners and abandoning whole regions, and that appears to be happening to...

I can reassure the hon. Gentleman; the east midlands and the west midlands are really important. The changes that the Chancellor outlined to the discount rate today will benefit places such as his constituency, because they will ensure that we value the longer-term benefit of regional investment projects more fairly....

I can reassure the hon. Gentleman; the east midlands and the west midlands are really important. The changes that the Chancellor outlined to the discount rate today will benefit places such as his constituency, because they will ensure that we value the longer-term benefit of regional investment projects more fairly....

The concept of devolution and localisation is to empower local communities by bringing the decision-making process closer to them. In Birmingham, the city council is being forced to relinquish its planning powers to the regional mayor. That is anti-devolution. Does the Minister agree, and what will she do to ensure...

The concept of devolution and localisation is to empower local communities by bringing the decision-making process closer to them. In Birmingham, the city council is being forced to relinquish its planning powers to the regional mayor. That is anti-devolution. Does the Minister agree, and what will she do to ensure...

I would disagree, because the mayoral strategic authorities are about local authorities coming together in a combined authority and working together across the borders of the west midlands—an area I know extremely well. This is about driving growth and driving good decisions across the region.

I would disagree, because the mayoral strategic authorities are about local authorities coming together in a combined authority and working together across the borders of the west midlands—an area I know extremely well. This is about driving growth and driving good decisions across the region.

The Chief Secretary has promised good growth in every postcode. Blackburn has the talent, the institutions and the major employers—such as EG On the Move—that are willing to invest in local people, but we need Government investment to match that ambition. Will the Chief Secretary make Blackburn a test case...

The Chief Secretary has promised good growth in every postcode. Blackburn has the talent, the institutions and the major employers—such as EG On the Move—that are willing to invest in local people, but we need Government investment to match that ambition. Will the Chief Secretary make Blackburn a test case...

We are working in close partnership with business, and the hon. Gentleman is right to say that we have to unleash talent and business investment in his own constituency and elsewhere, but as I said to the Chair of the Treasury Committee, the way that the public financial institutions work...

We are working in close partnership with business, and the hon. Gentleman is right to say that we have to unleash talent and business investment in his own constituency and elsewhere, but as I said to the Chair of the Treasury Committee, the way that the public financial institutions work...

Statement on the Government's plan to deliver good economic growth in every postcode.

Statement on the Government's plan to deliver good economic growth in every postcode.

With permission, I will make a statement on the Government’s plan to deliver good growth in every postcode.

At the G20 in North Carolina last week, the Chancellor and I met Finance Ministers from leading economies to discuss our shared economic challenges. Global instability, conflict and trade frictions are continuing to...

With permission, I will make a statement on the Government’s plan to deliver good growth in every postcode.

At the G20 in North Carolina last week, the Chancellor and I met Finance Ministers from leading economies to discuss our shared economic challenges. Global instability, conflict and trade frictions are continuing to...

I thank the Minister for her statement and for early sight of it. On a day when the country was listening for a message of change, it was the same old, same old: a continuity Chancellor, with continuity policies and a continuity team of Ministers in the Treasury. Does the...

I thank the Minister for her statement and for early sight of it. On a day when the country was listening for a message of change, it was the same old, same old: a continuity Chancellor, with continuity policies and a continuity team of Ministers in the Treasury. Does the...

It is a great pleasure to be opposite the hon. Gentleman again, as we were earlier in this Parliament. I will address his points, but I say kindly to him that I would rather be continuity Labour than continuity Liz Truss.

The hon. Gentleman was right to mention Jaguar Land Rover....

It is a great pleasure to be opposite the hon. Gentleman again, as we were earlier in this Parliament. I will address his points, but I say kindly to him that I would rather be continuity Labour than continuity Liz Truss.

The hon. Gentleman was right to mention Jaguar Land Rover....

I welcome the Chief Secretary’s statement and her commitment that the British Business Bank’s new fund will not be interfered with politically, because when the Treasury Committee looked at the National Wealth Fund, we were very clear that it needed to be able to get on and do its job...

I welcome the Chief Secretary’s statement and her commitment that the British Business Bank’s new fund will not be interfered with politically, because when the Treasury Committee looked at the National Wealth Fund, we were very clear that it needed to be able to get on and do its job...

I thank the Chair of the Treasury Committee for her question, and I agree with her: public financial institutions must make independent decisions about the businesses that they support. The Chancellor has talked today about new strategic priorities for the NWF, and that is also the right thing to do....

I thank the Chair of the Treasury Committee for her question, and I agree with her: public financial institutions must make independent decisions about the businesses that they support. The Chancellor has talked today about new strategic priorities for the NWF, and that is also the right thing to do....

I thank the Chancellor and the Minister for their speech and statement. We know that the Conservatives’ Brexit deal has hit national GDP by as much as 8%, costing the country up to £90 billion a year in lost tax revenues. Will the Government now pull the largest zero-cost growth...

I thank the Chancellor and the Minister for their speech and statement. We know that the Conservatives’ Brexit deal has hit national GDP by as much as 8%, costing the country up to £90 billion a year in lost tax revenues. Will the Government now pull the largest zero-cost growth...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his questions and will try to do them justice in the short time available. The Chancellor said this morning that Brexit has hammered British exports. I agree with the hon. Gentleman that there is a link between the fall in exports and the barriers...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his questions and will try to do them justice in the short time available. The Chancellor said this morning that Brexit has hammered British exports. I agree with the hon. Gentleman that there is a link between the fall in exports and the barriers...

I thank the Minister for her statement and agree that London is indeed a powerhouse for growth. However, as a Member of Parliament for an outer London borough, I know, and she will recognise, that that wealth is not felt by every Londoner. With industrialisation and job creation being priorities...

I thank the Minister for her statement and agree that London is indeed a powerhouse for growth. However, as a Member of Parliament for an outer London borough, I know, and she will recognise, that that wealth is not felt by every Londoner. With industrialisation and job creation being priorities...

I absolutely agree. As the Chancellor stressed this morning, and as the Prime Minister has repeatedly said, this Government will drive good growth in every postcode. My hon. Friend is right that the situation in London is not simple; it is an economic powerhouse, but there are high levels of...

I absolutely agree. As the Chancellor stressed this morning, and as the Prime Minister has repeatedly said, this Government will drive good growth in every postcode. My hon. Friend is right that the situation in London is not simple; it is an economic powerhouse, but there are high levels of...

Last week, the Prime Minister boasted in the same breath that we had the fastest growth in the G7 and that the decade of slow growth was caused by Brexit. If we are ahead of the pack, it cannot be caused by Brexit, can it?

Last week, the Prime Minister boasted in the same breath that we had the fastest growth in the G7 and that the decade of slow growth was caused by Brexit. If we are ahead of the pack, it cannot be caused by Brexit, can it?

We could be even further ahead of the pack.

We could be even further ahead of the pack.

I strongly agree with the Government’s policy on devolution and better technical and scientific education, but all that will be for nought if we do not do something about the cost of energy. We cannot grow and compete as an economy when we have higher energy costs than our major...

I strongly agree with the Government’s policy on devolution and better technical and scientific education, but all that will be for nought if we do not do something about the cost of energy. We cannot grow and compete as an economy when we have higher energy costs than our major...