Pre-Budget Report

I will be brief, because the winding-up speeches are due to start at six minutes past 4. Following the intervention by my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett), I have been surprised by the way in which the official Opposition have derided the notion that the problems started in north America. The world has changed, and we now live in a world of instant communications where events spread very quickly. That applies to not only banking and commerce, but to many aspects of our society, and global events that begin with a pinprick will spread around the world very quickly in other areas, too. Anyone who has read anything about chaos theory will understand what I mean. That is why it is so important—no one from the Opposition has mentioned this—that my right hon. Friends the Chancellor and the Prime Minister get on the global stage and argue Britain's corner and Europe's corner. If we do not do so, we will let down our country extremely badly. The hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne) and I have two things in common. First, we are both Cheshire Members, and I hope that he will reflect on what I say towards the end of my remarks, because some of his constituents work for companies in my constituency. Secondly, we both took a holiday in Corfu, but I shall not develop that point. Mine was a considerably cheaper version. I am also concerned to hear the surprise—the shock, horror—based on the idea that my right hon. Friend the Chancellor did not look at dozens of ideas, and did not ask civil servants, officials and colleagues to present alternative propositions to him. Of course, he did. We would be here lambasting him if there were evidence that he had not examined dozens and dozens of ideas placed in front of him.