Now that it is clear from today's borrowing figures that Government borrowing is out of control, is the real reason for his refusal to stump up any more money for the north-west the fact that he fears that his Department's budget will be cut substantially in response to the growing Borrowing Crisis, over and above the cut of £800 million that he has already made to the Department's spending in the current year?

Other countries are not looking to the example of Labour, whose prescription for more borrowing in answer to a Borrowing Crisis is the one policy that no country in Europe or the world is following.

The phrase that the noble Lord from the Treasury used this afternoon-I heard the Prime Minister use exactly the same phrase earlier today in another place-that the solution to a Borrowing Crisis cannot be more borrowing reflects the preference of this Government to fall back into PR slogans rather than to think through matters carefully.

I am proud to be part of a Government who listen to people, but will the Minister please assure me that he will never, ever listen to any economic advice from the Labour party, whose view is that the way to get out of a Borrowing Crisis is simply to borrow more?