Liam Byrne MP: Tory cuts would run deep

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Liam Byrne MP: Tory cuts would run deep

By The Labour Party ⋅ March 10, 2009 ⋅ Post a comment
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Liam Byrne MP, Labour’s Cabinet Office minister, today warned that Tory cuts in this recession would run deep. Speaking as Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party, set out major reforms to improve public services, Liam Byrne said:

“Labour are reforming public services to give everyone real help through this downturn and real hope for the future, a future of strong communities in which every family has a fair chance. By contrast, the Conservatives would cut investment in public services at the worst possible time.

“In education, they are committed to cutting £4.5 billion from the school building programme and £200m from SureStart. And right across the public services, they have said that if they were in office next month they would cut £5billion immediately – equivalent to cutting 3,500 police, an end to major transport programmes, and cutting the support for hundreds of voluntary groups.

“The Tories’ cuts to public services would run deep. Only Labour are determined not to allow public services to become hidden victims of the recession.”

Labour’s criticism of Conservative spending cuts announced in January, which total some £5 billion and would start from this April, include:

* £160 million from the Home Office – equivalent to 3,500 police officers;
* £840m from the transport budget – equivalent to scrapping major transport projects, such as Crossrail;
* £100m from the Cabinet Office – equivalent to scrapping critical support up and down the country for hundreds of local third sector and voluntary schemes;
* £80m from DECC – equivalent to cutting the Warm Fronts scheme for 32,000 vulnerable homes;
* £610 million from DIUS – equivalent to cutting thousands of apprenticeships and scrapping the critical investment we need to higher education and science to prepare us for the upturn.

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