Ken Clarke contradicted George Osborne today. On BBC's Election Debate he said that the Labour government had been right to nationalise Northern Rock.
Ken Clarke appeared to contradict his party’s shadow chancellor today when he outlined that the Labour government had been right to nationalise Northern Rock.
Ken Clarke made his admission on BBC Daily Politics’ Election Debate on business issues:
NEIL: Were they right to nationalise [Northern Rock]?
CLARKE: I think they were right to nationalise it.
NEIL: That’s not what your party said.
PESTON: So you’ve changed your position?
CLARKE: Well I wasn’t on the front bench at the time.
Watch it:
In February 2008 during passage of the Banking (Special Provision) Bill, which gave the Government the powers to take Northern Rock into public ownership, George Osborne said, “I am not in favour of nationalisation, full stop” and voted against the second and third reading of the bill. He told the Today programme that the plan was “completely unacceptable.”
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19 Responses to “Ken Clarke: Government right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock”
SSP Campsie
RT @leftfootfwd Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://short.to/27h71
Sam Knight
RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o
Raging Reg
RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o
Jeevan Rai
RT @bencooper86: RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o
Raging Reg
how do we trust the Tories on the economy when they are at odds with each other? http://bit.ly/9G8E8o #iagreewithnick #libdemwin