Balls: ‘Deficit denier’ tag is utter nonsense
By politics.co.uk staff
The ‘deficit denier’ tag attached to some Labour figures is “utter nonsense”, Ed Balls has said.
The shadow chancellor was reminded that the phrase was often attached to him while appearing on the Andrew Marr Programme this morning.
“It’s a phrase used by the Conservative party all the time,” he said.
“It’s complete and utter nonsense. We have to get the deficit down. But if you don’t have a plan for jobs you’re not going to cut the deficit – you’ll make it worse.
“It’s not denial. It’s growth denial – that’s George Osborne’s position and we must challenge him, that’s my job.”
Comment: The fascism of ‘deficit denial’
Mr Balls admitted that the public were still wary of Labour after the financial crisis, but in a rehearsal of arguments he will deploy against Mr Osborne after the Budget next week he insisted that the government lacked an effective growth strategy.
“Of course people are sceptical and. it’ll take us time to build our credibility, but George Osborne can’t hide behind someone else,” he said.
“My credibility will come from making arguments that make sense. It’s looking like I was right and George was wrong – and that is where credibility comes from.
The shadow chancellor launched into a red-bloodied attack on his government counterpart, saying the chancellor needed to face up to the current depressing financial forecasts.
“Unemployment is going up,” he said.
“What’s happening on our economy now, it’s on his decisions. The reason George Osborne is going to be downgrading his forecast for growth as we expected is because there’s no plans for jobs.
“[Cutting the deficit in one parliament] may be good politics, but it’s terrible economics.”
George Osborne will present the Budget on Wednesday after PMQs.
