[Un-allotted Half Day] — Future Government Spending

Part of Opposition Day – in the House of Commons at 3:04 pm on 4 March 2015.

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Photo of Dominic Raab Dominic Raab Conservative, Esher and Walton 3:04, 4 March 2015

I thank the hon. Gentleman for giving way; he is being very kind. He has blamed the biggest peacetime budget deficit, which we inherited from the previous Government, on the global economic crisis. Will he confirm that the Office for Budget Responsibility’s public finances database clearly shows that public spending rose by £267 billion between 1997 and 2009-10, and that 71% of that rise took place by 2006-07—well before the financial crisis? Will he confirm that that is true?