I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. In this matter, as in many matters, my approach is to beef up my own Front Bench, as well as expose the fallacies, weakness and hypocrisy of the Conservative Front Bench and the absence of anything from the Liberal Front Bench. Therefore, the stronger the Opposition Front Bench is in the practical detail, and in saying to the British public that it is unfair and unjust that these large companies pay so little tax that a company such as Starbucks pays less than a café in the centre of Worksop, the better. How can that in any way be just?
This is not just about justice, however. Those of us on the Opposition Benches must articulate the fact that this is about economic efficiency. Let us consider the small entrepreneur or the new company, the company looking to grow, or the company that has reached its place in society, such as a small family café that is providing an excellent service to the community and that pays its taxes and is being undercut by multinationals. How can they compete with large multinationals avoiding their taxes?
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This is about far more than injustice; it is about economic efficiency, and the competitiveness of this country in world markets. We need to be using that language to this Government. It was as if the Treasury spokesman feared there was a by-election in the offing when he was asked from the Opposition Front Bench whether he read The Guardian on a Friday. If he were to read the Worksop Guardian his apoplexy would be even greater, but he would be informed of practical suggestions as to how to make his policies even more robust, and
I recommend it to those on my own Front Bench, too. They will find practical proposals on how to deal with these issues, warmly welcomed by the people of Bassetlaw who see economic inefficiency and a lack of competition in the markets. These small businesses and these innovators and entrepreneurs are in the vanguard of demanding Government action, rather than this excuse for action that is put forward in new clause 4.