Harman takes the coalition to task
Tuesday, 25 May 2010 4:46 PM
By Ian Dunt
Harriet Harman has started her interim stint as Labour leader as she means to go on with a hard-hitting response to the Queen's Speech.
"It will take more than three quid a week tax break to keep this marriage together," she said, prompting nervous smiles from Nick Clegg and David Cameron, who sat together on the government benches.
"We will not pull our punches," she went on.
"Though we are in opposition we will be powerful in the public interest. We will be vigilant protecting jobs and businesses."
Ms Harman, who will remain Labour leader until the end of the contest at the party conference this autumn, suggested yesterday's press conference on the first batch of spending cuts, delivered by George Osborne and David Laws, revealed a continuation of old politics.
"Their decision to announce spending cuts in a press conference rather than this House was a poor start," she said.
Ms Harman sounded a note of warning over Lib-Con plans to cut the deficit.
"The recovery cannot be taken for granted," she said.
"We all agree with cutting waste but cancelling 10,000 university places is not cutting waste, it's cutting future opportunities for creating growth.
"The country does face a very serious challenge to reduce the deficit. What the country needs to know is that the government will do that in a fair way."
But her toughest rhetoric was reserved for the 55% threshold for parliament to be dissolved, which forms part of the coalition's parliamentary reform agenda.
Ms Harman suggested the threshold was put in place to secure the longevity of the coalition.
"It's like a political pre-nup," she said.
"We won't support a 55% rule. They have no mandate for that change, it would be morally unacceptable for seats to be cut on the basis of a electoral register on which 3.5 million people are missing."
Ms Harman also attacked reported Lib Dem moves which would see them retain funding as an opposition party while remaining coalition partners.
"We object to the Liberal Democrat request that they should keep the public funding that goes to opposition parties," she said.
"Some people say the Liberal Democrats want to be all things to all people, but even they cant be in government and opposition."
Prime minister Mr Cameron responded in kind with a tough attack on the new Labour leader.
"Until they learn what they got so badly wrong I'm not sure people are going to listen to them again," he said.
He did not restrict his attack to Ms Harman, but also turned on her husband, a new Labour MP with strong links to the Unite union.
"He is the first man in history to win a constituency with an all woman shortlist," Mr Cameron joked.
He added: "They governed in the party interest, we govern in the national interest. This Queen's Speech. means a new start for Britain and I commend it to the House."
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