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Gordon Brown set for fresh attack over Tory spending cuts
16.06.09
The Prime Minister is expected to launch a fresh attack against the Conservatives today over cuts to public sector spending.
Gordon Brown will address the annual conference in Blackpool of the GMB Union which represents thousands of public sector workers, as a debate is raging on future spending on areas such as the NHS, education and the police.
Mr Brown's speech to the 500 delegates will be made at a critical time for the public sector as the main parties argue over future spending commitments ahead of the next general election.
The Prime Minister is also expected to stress his determination to clean up politics in the wake of the MP's expenses crisis and will champion the Government's achievements for workers such as the minimum wage.
Mr Brown has agreed to take questions from delegates and could be quizzed on rising unemployment, government support for manufacturing as well as the general anger with politics.
His appearance at the conference also comes at a time when wildcat strikes have started to break out at oil terminals and power stations in a row over jobs which could also be raised at the conference.
Meanwhile, a survey of over 1,000 workers by Unison showed that fewer than one in three said they would vote Labour at the next election, down from 42% a year ago.
General Secretary Dave Prentis said the figures, published ahead of the union's annual conference in Brighton were "shocking" and showed that the Labour vote among public sector workers had "collapsed".
Reader views (13)
The only thing this pathetic man has left in the bag is to claim the Tory party will cut services. The fact is services will have to be cut as there is just no money left after 12 years of Nu Lab. The country will be bankrupt if he waits till the very end to hold an election. Just for once Mr Brown can you tell the truth and not the lies you are used to spinning!
- Duncan Walker, Ex Peckham now Thailand
McMitty addressing the GMB loonies with his porkies? Yes, sounds just about the right venue for the snivelling bottler from Fife.
- Ted, London
So Brown is now saying there will be no pay-back time for all his bail-outs. So let him and his Mr Darling pay for it all out of their own pockets.
Putting the bluffing aside Mr Brown likes a gamble so on his head it is, wonder what that sum will amount to???
- Tony Islander, Herts
Gordon Brown this is your problem telling the press what you plan to do. Why attack anyone why not do what we pay you to do and run the country and not attack your betters. His every speak is know before he carps any words
- Gary, brentwood
Doesn't this idiot see that the Conservatives will win because of his diabolical decisions and will be forced to make cuts for the very same reason in order to save the country from bankruptcy. There are no other options.
- Val, Costa Del Sol, Spain, London
Brown lies. He has lied to us for the past 12 years. He will lie to us until the next election. I will never, ever vote for the Labour party again. He is a complete and utter embarassment and I would sooner vote for anyone rather than Brown. What was he recently saying about listening and learning ? and then we get the "closed doors" Iraq War enquiry. Pathetic.
- E.Nuff, London
So the man who has put us in more debt than every Government since the Napoleonic wars combined is attacking the Tories for cutting spending? Ridiculous. Brown got so much respect for supposedly being a great chancellor, yet he doesn;t seem able to do basic sums.
- Mark, London
Brown is being dishonest if he tells us that we will continue to invest in public services. His own figures show that public spending will start to be cut in 2011. Presumably he believes that he can just borrow the money from the bank, or more likely raise taxes, and that we will all believe the great smoke and mirrors trick.
Along with civil service pensions, unchecked public spending is a timebomb waiting to go off in the faces of the next government.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
Crash Gordon - as the name implies - has effectively bankrupted the UK. We have no more money and taxation is already too high. Cuts have to be made to make the economy healthy again.
- Phil, Islington, London
With Alistair Darling saying spending cuts are inevitable, I don't see how Gordon Brown can attack the Tories on this matter. Surely it just makes either himself or the Chancellor look like a liar? Do they actually talk to each other any more?! What a shambles this government is!
- Peter, Wimbledon
This is just empty filler until the election next year, unless he is kicked out by Labour in advance of that.
- Dave Davies, Basingstoke, Hants
Unlike Broon who will go on spending until we become so poor we are third world country.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
Brown just cannot grasp the situation: The need for cuts in public spending are as a direct result of his handling of the economy when he was chancellor. He has single handedly bankrupted this country but is too pig headed to admit it (or too stupid to realise it). Every man and woman on the street knows that the Tories will have to "pick up the pieces" when labour are kicked out of office. It has been the pattern throughout labour's history.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
