Mass-Sackings Could Damage Public Services Warns Cable

5.28.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 12th Jul 2004

Gordon Brown's 'slash and burn' approach to cutting civil service numbers could be highly damaging to Britain's public services, Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable warned today.

"Cutting waste is all very well, and I am not against that", said Dr Cable, "but simply cutting jobs without setting priorities is akin to putting the cart before the horse."

"Gordon Brown has been Chancellor for the last seven years. If there is so much waste why wasn't it tackled earlier? Maybe if he had tackled waste much earlier, today we would have decent pensions and no student tuition fees.

"The Liberal Democrats' approach is fundamentally different. We believe some priorities remain seriously underfunded and the money has to be found by cutting something else.

"We want to see a generous, non-means-tested pension. We would scrap industrial and other subsidies to pay for it.

"We want to see properly funded policing and would scrap the Home Secretary's £3 billion ID card scheme to pay for it.

"We want to see even better provision for early years and primary schools and would scrap the wasteful Baby Bond scheme to pay for it.

"The strategic aim of keeping public sector spending growth broadly in line with the economy is correct. It will be a big improvement on the first two terms of Labour government when public spending has lurched from famine to feast.

"But simply getting into a competition with the Conservatives to see who can sack the most civil servants is not the answer. The Conservatives tried this when they were in office. What happened?

"Our railways are still in chaos. Our schools, hospitals and police did not get the money and staff they needed and are only just recovering. The public services we rely on were on their knees under the Conservatives. The last thing we want is a macho game of brinkmanship between Gordon Brown and Michael Howard to see who can sack the most public servants in the name of saving money."