Benn attacks Cameron's 'broken promises'

29th September 2011

Hilary Benn has told the Labour party conference in Liverpool that David Cameron must be held to account for his "broken promises".

"Beating the Lib Dems is pleasure – and we should thank them for the help they're giving us - but conference, beating the Tories is business," the shadow leader of the Commons said.

"Look at what they're doing to the economy. Growth is flatlining. Unemployment is rising. And that's going to make it harder to pay off the deficit.

"Look at their broken promises.

"David Cameron promised to protect Sure Start. But Sure Start centres are closing.

"He promised that ministers who came up with cuts to the front line would be sent packing, but instead it's 16,000 police officers who are going.

"He promised no top down reorganisation of the NHS, but now he's wasting billions on doing just that."

Benn attacked plans for new fines for NHS hospitals "for something called anti-competitive behaviour".

"That's the Tories for you. They actually do think that our hospitals are no different from banks or phone companies. Well we know they are different and that's why the British people will never trust the Tories on the NHS again."

He continued: "All in it together? No, they're just interested in a few."

Benn also said Labour should be honest about its record in government, but "never apologise" protecting people's homes and saving during the 2009 financial crisis.

"Where we got it wrong – like on bank regulation – we've held our hands up," he said.

"But everyone else got it wrong too. George Osborne used to complain not that we weren't doing enough on the banks but that we were being too tough on them. He was wrong then and we'll take no lectures from him.

"And why did we do it ? Because we made a choice to protect people's savings, to protect people's jobs and to protect people's homes, and for that we should never apologise."

Bookmark and Share

Have your say...

Please enter your comments below.

Name

Your e-mail address


Listen to audio version

Please type in the letters or numbers shown above (case sensitive)

Related News

Khan unveils 'victims' law plan

MPs: Extra Met duties for police 'not helpful'

Paddick condemns police riot response

Lib Dems clash over conference security

PM defends police and NHS reforms



Latest news

Councils paid to restore weekly bin collections

The government is to make available £250m to encourage local authorities in England to keep or restore weekly bin collections


MPs' warning over FCO cuts

The public accounts committee has warned that 'short term' cuts at the Foreign Office may lead to increased spending in the future.


Children to learn about altered images

Primary school pupils are to be shown pictures of an un-airbrushed Britney Spears and male models in their underwear in a lesson designed to boost their confidence.


Harriet rallies Labour faithful


Benn attacks Cameron's 'broken promises'


McCluskey's theat over British jobs


Speech in full - Harriet Harman


Speech in full - Hilary Benn


More from Dods