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European Centre @ POLIS

Department of Politics and International Studies
 

On 4 June 2015, Dr Julie Smith, the Director of the European Centre (also known as Baroness Smith of Newnham) spoke in the House of Lords on the budget deficit. Baroness Smith stated that 'As a Liberal Democrat, I obviously welcome the fact that the deficit was halved as a percentage of GDP in the last Parliament, along with the commitment to getting rid of the deficit and beginning to reduce public debt.' However, she argued that the reduction needs to be done fairly: 'It is to be hoped that the Conservative Government will indeed reduce the deficit fairly, although, as the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, pointed out yesterday, to announce £12 billion of cuts without saying where they will fall is a perilous venture'.
For the full speech please visit the link: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldhansrd/text/150604-0....