Darren Jones MP: speeches

Speeches

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  I will not give a running commentary on my conversations with businesses or constituents in my constituency, but what I have heard from businesses in the defence and infrastructure sectors is welcome news regarding our long-term spending commitments, our reform of the planning system and our commitment to spending more on capital across our country, which will generate good jobs and good skills in every part of the country.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  The Chancellor has confidence in the OBR.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  As a consequence of the Chancellor’s decisions, we gave Scotland the largest real-terms spending increase since devolution began, and the only radical change that we are now looking for is the Scottish National party to be kicked out of Holyrood next May.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  The Treasury obviously monitors all OBR forecasts and considers them in detail. As the hon. Gentleman knows, it is right and proper that the Treasury looks at OBR forecasts in an orderly way when it produces its forecast in line with the fiscal forecast. That is how we bring stability back to the public finances, and that is what we will be doing.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  The Government are committed to the independence of the OBR. We will keep setting out future fiscal plans at one fiscal event a year.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  The Treasury engages with business leaders and investors all the time, and the one thing they tell me is that they are grateful this Government have brought back long-term, multi-year budgets, that we have the fiscal rules in place, and that we are reforming things like the planning system to make it easier to do business in this country. As a consequence, business confidence is increasing under this Government, having dropped enormously under the right hon. Member’s Government.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  I agree. As the House knows, when the Chancellor presented the Budget last year, she said that this Government “chooses investment over decline” for Britain. That was reflected in our spending review, which was investing in the renewal of Britain, unlocking billions of pounds as a consequence of the fiscal rules that the Chancellor had set out in the Budget—which were non-negotiable, and will therefore stay in place.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  I do. It is good that my hon. Friend has been able to raise that testimony from the Transport Committee, because it reminds us why the British people were so angry with the Conservative party after 14 years of failed promises, and why this Labour Government will always make sure that we deliver on our promises.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  I congratulate my hon. Friend on securing investment in his constituency from this Labour Government. He is right to point out that in the past his constituents have been given failed promises, whereas this Labour Government are delivering on their promises.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  The Chancellor was very clear that the last Budget was a once-in-a-generation Budget because it had to deal with the sheer scale of negligence and mess that we had inherited from the party opposite. I am very grateful now that we are one year into a Labour Government we do not have to keep clearing up their mess year after year.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  I thank the Chair of the Treasury Committee for her question. The way I would describe it to the public is that when the Government lose control of the public finances, as the Conservative party did in government, it affects not only the accounts in the Exchequer and the Treasury but the family finances in every house across the country. People are still paying for the consequences of the last Government not sticking to their fiscal rules and acting irresponsibly. That is why our fiscal rules are non-negotiable, and we will stick to them.

• 7 Jul 2025 · Government Performance against Fiscal Rules · Hansard source

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  Because the Conservative party had not done a spending review since 2021 and let inflation go through the roof, and the cost of doing business was higher, along with a whole string of broken promises from the Conservatives. The sooner they reflect on their mistakes and apologise to the country, the better for all of us.