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Lord Mandelson: Labour are political 'underdogs'
29 Jul 2009Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has acknowledged that plans for public spending would have to be delayed or scrapped as the Government seeks to balance the nation's books.
The state of the public finances means the Government will have to show "fiscal responsibility" over the medium-term, he said.
Lord Mandelson also conceded Labour were now political "underdogs" that could not hope to fight the next election on their past record.
The political landscape will be shaped by the debate on public spending as Labour and the Tories set out plans to tackle the national debt.
Lord Mandelson said the Government would be "vindicated" for the tough choices it had already made to tackle the recession.
The "savageness" and duration of the recession would be far worse under Tory plans to cut spending, he claimed in an interview for BBC2's Newsnight.
But, he acknowledged: "I fully accept that, in the medium term, the fiscal adjustment that we're going to have to make, the rebalancing of our public finances, because we are a fiscally responsible government, will be substantial."
Asked whether that would mean cuts he said: "Over time when we show this fiscal responsibility, as we will need to do, there will be things we would like to do but will have to be done slower.
"There will be things that'll have to be postponed and put off and there will be probably things that we cannot do at all."
He called on the whole party to unite and show "the spirit of New Labour still lives very strongly".
But the scale of the challenge was laid bare in tonight's ComRes poll for The Independent, which showed Labour trailing 18 points behind the Tories.
The Conservatives were up six points to 42%, Labour down one on 24%.
Gordon Brown's leadership has also come under fresh scrutiny after last week's by-election drubbing in Norwich North.
Lord Mandelson used the interview to issue a rallying call to the party to get behind the Prime Minister.
He said: "It's not just down to Gordon Brown, it's down to the whole of the Government and the whole of the party to fight back, to show that we remain the changemakers in British politics, that the spirit of New Labour still lives very strongly in us, and to fight back not as incumbents, however proud we are of our record, we can't fight back on our record alone.
"We've got to fight back as insurgents, people who are prepared to challenge the status quo."
Asked whether the party could win the next election he said: "Of course it's difficult and of course we're coming from behind, you know we are the underdogs in politics now.
"But that's precisely why we've got to, after all this time in office, work even harder to demonstrate that we have the ideas, the policies, but also the discipline to bring to government.
"It's going to be harder for us, in other words, to be insurgents rather than simply incumbents, it's going to be harder for us to convince people in the way that we need to, that we are going to continue to be, as I say, the changemakers in British politics"
Reader views (10)
"the Government will have to show "fiscal responsibility" over the medium-term, he said."
So the government have no intention of showing any long term responsibility and it's back to the good old days of squandering money. Actually, they haven't stopped as yet have they? So are they intending to tighten their belts before they get booted out at the next election or will they keep throwing money at everything except equipment for troops in their illegal war?
- Bob, Cheam, 29/07/2009 09:49
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"Mandelson said that Labour could not hope to fight election on their past record"
For once, this ghastly man is telling the truth.
- David, Fleet UK, 29/07/2009 09:24
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"Lord" Mandelspin but you've not been elected by anyone and you are [somehow] at the helm of the worst Government this country has ever had and in charge of the worst PM this country has ever endured, so why exactly do you think we should listen to anything you say?
That's right, there's no reason.
- St, London, 29/07/2009 08:55
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Oi Mandy...it's not true. Most people like dogs.
That is all.
- Ethan, UK, 29/07/2009 08:51
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Mandleson states that Labour are underdogs. I wonder what brought that to his attention and how it happened? Could it be that Mandleson has now discovered that Nu Labour had no real plans or talent to start with. That it was a pack of wasters and non entities led by a errant schoolboy. That the Chancellor appointed at the time could not add up and hated the Prime Minister for getting "his" job. As I predicted NuLabour was the master stunt of all time and most of you fell for it. While the boy PM waltzed off with the money. Will the voters do the same thing again? More than likely. There are none so blind as those who refuse to see.
- Albert Hall, hove england, 29/07/2009 08:41
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"because we are a fiscally responsible government".
I can't believe he said that with a straight face.
I know where £9bn (actually £20bn) can be saved right now.
- Jimbob, Kensington, 29/07/2009 08:21
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Changemakers- Maybe it is the changes that are not popular.
- Wills, Southampton, 29/07/2009 07:31
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"because we are a fiscally responsible government" spouts Lord Meddlesum.
NO Meddlesum, you and your despicable, parasitical cronies and in particular Gormless Brown who was Chancellor of the Exchequer for TEN YEARS, have bankrupted the UK with an unprecedented National Debt exceeding GBP1,400,000,000,000.00.
MP's are arrogant, mealy-mouthed, money-grabbing, two-faced hypocrites who have robbed Joe Public blind.
It is time for Lord Meddlesum, Jackboot Straw, Dizzy Darling, Gormless Brown, Milibanana, Balls, Blunkett and Prescot to face reality for a change - as they will all be unemployed at the next General Election.
- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK, 29/07/2009 07:24
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"Mandelson: Labour are political 'underdogs'"
No, just dogs - and that's unfair to canines
- Rover, uk, 29/07/2009 07:19
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"we are a fiscally responsible government"!!! What planet has this sleazy idiot been living on for the last 12 years. Labour's record is the worst of any government in history - dumbed down education, billions wasted on an inefficient public sector, lost control of our borders, British culture abandoned, human rights idiots running the country and not forgetting Labour as usual will leave the economy in tatters
- Trevn, abu dhabi, 29/07/2009 06:49
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