It is a privilege to follow the right hon. Member for Salford and Eccles (Hazel Blears), of whom I am a big fan, and to support what she said in her exciting speech that extolled the virtues of the big society. I congratulate the Secretary of State who has done such a great deal to bring on the big society and social enterprise, through his work at the Centre for Social Justice and in the Department.
I am, however, somewhat disappointed to be speaking in this debate having heard the shadow Secretary of State be so disparaging about the cut in beer duty. It is not just I, the Member of Parliament for Burton—the
home of British brewing—who will be disappointed that the Labour party dismissed such an important industry, but the 1 million people who are employed in that industry, the 4,000 people in my constituency who earn a living from the beer and pub industry, and the 120,000 members of the Campaign for Real Ale who campaigned hard across the country because they love British beer, they love the industry and they wanted a cut in duty.