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Prime Minister (Correspondence)

Volume 827: debated on Thursday 2 December 1971

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Q3.

asked the Prime Minister how many letters he has now received since taking office on matters for which he is responsible.

May I ask the Prime Minister how many of those letters in recent days have urged him to add substance to Press speculation and to announce a massive reflationary programme?

Is he aware that, without such a programme, unemployment this winter could rise by as much as a third and that in those circumstances the only demand of the British people would be for a General Election?

I have already explained the problem about the breakdown of letters on this scale.

Returning to the question of unemployment, is the Prime Minister aware that his right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer blames the present level of unemployment on the Labour Party? Does he recollect his own remarks, that unemployment is due to high wages? Which is the Prime Minister now backing? He cannot have both.

Of course it follows that it was the Labour Government which released the enormous wage pressure.