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Labour blamed for loss of North-East jobs (From Durham Times)
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Labour blamed for loss of North-East jobs
6:30am Wednesday 10th March 2010
NEARLY 95,000 North-East manufacturing jobs have been lost in the past 12 years because of Labour policies, the Tories claimed last night.
However, in an attack of their own, Labour warned that Conservative plans to scrap a job creation scheme would cost 3,000 jobs in the region.
Figures published yesterday by the Conservatives show that 1.7 million UK manufacturing jobs have been lost since 1997 – including 94,857 in the North-East.
The data was released as the Conservatives published a report by entrepreneur Sir James Dyson, which gave advice to the Tories about making Britain Europe’s leading high-tech exporter.
Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke said: “Labour has devastated manufacturing.
Gordon Brown once promised to revitalise the industry, but the figures show he failed.
“At least 95,000 jobs have gone and the sector has declined by a record level. This has been a tragedy for the North-East, an area with a proud manufacturing tradition.
“We will cut corporation tax rates, simplify the tax system and support high-tech innovation.
“British manufacturing cannot afford five more years of Gordon Brown making things worse.”
In response, Labour criticised Tory plans to scrap the Future Jobs Fund, which the Government claims has generated 3,000 jobs in the region.
Helen Goodman, Labour’s Work and Pension Minister and MP for Bishop Auckland, said: “David Cameron’s plans to scrap the fund are misguided and will deny opportunities to thousands of young people in this area.
“This just goes to prove again that the Conservatives are a change the North-East can’t afford.”
The Dyson Review: Ingenious Britain contains proposals on how best to create well-paid jobs. Its recommendations include a commitment to high-speed rail and nuclear power to demonstrate a Conservative Government’s ambitions for the country and encouraging more young people to choose science and engineering.
MP Roberta Blackman- Woods, Labour’s Deputy Regional Minister for the North- East, said: “The Conservatives’ plans to put up tax on business investments have already been labeled a disaster by manufacturers and, what’s more, their plans for One North East would hit the region’s economy hard.
“Ken Clarke should take a harder look at what his party’s plans would mean for manufacturers in the North-East.”
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Your Say YourTimes
KP59, says...
12:17pm Wed 10 Mar 10
dolanp1, Newton Aycliffe says...
1:07pm Wed 10 Mar 10
At the back end of last year a heavy lift semi submersible arrived in the Tyne and when it left so did the last of our shipbuilding ability on the Tyne, they loaded a submersible dock and all the cranes and off they went to India to increase their shipbuilding capability while we took over their ship breaking work up at Hartlepool.
The only people who are doing well in this country now are the ‘dodgy’ politicians and their banker friends who never seem to take any responsibility for what they do and just carry on prospering.
Hugh, W Mids, West Mids says...
1:29pm Wed 10 Mar 10
The Grim North, Coxhoe says...
1:33pm Wed 10 Mar 10
st-george1, Redcar says...
5:20pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Labour's lies and incompetence has broken our country. We're fighting two wars, we're living on debt, we have low interest & inflation rates which is causing havoc with any savings for rainy days with pension pots that are getting smaller and lots more people will be forced to work longer before dying or being allowed to retire.
There was a time when we made expensive cars, we made expensive ships, we made expensive steel, we dug for expensive coal, and lots of other expensive things in between strikes and then we lost the lot because as just one country in the big wide world we could not compete in the world markets on quality, price and delivery.
Labour governments were the worst because they showed no interested in stopping British companies being swallowed up by foreign but very friendly billionaires from places like India, Germany and Russia, even today.
Welcome to the 21st century EU sponsored United Kingdom.
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George BA, Bishop Auckland says...
12:06pm Wed 10 Mar 10
Maybe we should ask the ship builders, steel workers, miners, railway workers, textile and clothing workers who all lost their manufacturing jobs under the Tories and also their communities.
The Tories cannot preach to anyone about how the manufacturing base int his country was destroyed.
They even sold off Gas, Oil, Electricty and Water and claimed the proceeds as if it was some part of an economic recovery.
Can anyone remember the Major years when interest rates went up to 19% with the advent of Black Wednesday.