New Clause 2
Planning-gain Supplement (Preparations) Bill
4:45 pm
Mark Francois (Shadow Minister, Treasury; Rayleigh, Conservative)
My hon. Friend tempts me to summarise the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s record, but I shall not indulge in doing so, lest you rule me out of order, Mr. Hood. I could say that the massive amount of borrowing that the Chancellor has incurred is not particularly impressive for a start. Nevertheless, my hon. Friend’s concern for the Chancellor is touching, and I am pleased that he has him constantly in his thoughts, as indeed we all do. Our thoughts may be somewhat different however.
I was seeking to argue that it does not seem unreasonable to put a backstop on the decision process, as we intend to do with our new clause. I hope that that seems reasonable and that the Committee will give a fair wind to our new clause as a result. We cannot allow the Government to go round and round in circles for ever.