- Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (R) gestures to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg during their joint news conference at number 10 Downing Street in London December 21, 2010. REUTERS/Carl De Souza/Pool
Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg began by thanking troops serving in Afghanistan for everything they are doing and sending them and their families Christmas wishes.
The PM also gave an update on government action following the coldest December in over 100 years.
He said Cabinet had discussed the widespread travel chaos “extensively” on Tuesday and that the Ministerial Resilience Team, led by the Transport Secretary Phil Hammond, was meeting regularly.
He added:
“The people stuck here are having an incredibly difficult time, especially just a few days from Christmas, and everything must be done to either get them on holiday or get them home safely.”Discussing the economy, they said the Coalition Government was on the right track and that next year would be “rigorously focused on growth and job creation”.
Mr Clegg said the Coalition had achieved a great deal this year tackling the deficit. He said he believed ”we’ll fix the economy and build a better future”.
The Deputy PM also said they had made a good start on their far-reaching programme to rebuild British society so that it is “open, liberal, socially mobile”.
“…from schools, to hospitals, to planning – we’re taking power away from Whitehall and handing it back to individuals, back to families, back to neighbourhoods.”
- Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (R) pats Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on the back as they leave after their joint news conference at number 10 Downing street in London December 21, 2010. REUTERS/Carl De Souza/Pool
The Coalition Government has achieved a huge amount in a short space of time. Clearly our greatest challenge is tackling the deficit and returning our economy to health, and we are taking the difficult steps needed to do that.
But, Labour didn’t just leave us a fiscal mess; they left us a social crisis as well: a country where your chances in life are still too determined by the circumstances of your birth.
Just as we did not flinch – and we will not flinch – from taking the action needed to fix the economy, we will not back down from doing what it takes to address the deep unfairness in our society either.
It is easy to say that all this Government is about is cuts. But it is wrong. We have begun a far-reaching programme to rebuild British society so that it is open, liberal, socially mobile. So that people who want to get ahead in life can get ahead, regardless of the circumstances of their birth. So that people who want the best for themselves and their children can be sure that Government is on their side.
That’s the ambition driving our changes. That’s why we’re providing a £2.5bn pupil premium, targeted at the most disadvantaged children, as well as funding the childcare needed to help give 2, 3 and 4 year olds the best possible start in life.
It’s why we’re overhauling our welfare system – to get people into work. And why we’re raising the income tax personal allowance – to make sure work pays. From April 880,000 people on low incomes will stop paying income tax altogether, with more to follow. And it’s why our changes to higher education, though controversial, will make it easier and cheaper, not more expensive, for bright people from poorer backgrounds to go to university.
But we also know that to make our plan work – to really help people get ahead – Government must stop constantly telling them what to do. So from schools, to hospitals, to planning – we’re taking power away from Whitehall and handing it back to individuals, back to families, back to neighbourhoods.
Self-confident Government that trusts people, instead of Labour’s insistence that “Government always knows best”. It’s a big project; it won’t happen overnight; and, we know the year ahead, and the years after that, won’t always be easy. But we believe that our decisions will stand the test of time, and that we are on course to fix the economy, while building a better country.
We’re also confounding the fears about coalition. The idea that parties working together would cause paralysis and stagnation has quietly bitten the dust. In fact, now the complaint from some is that we’re doing too much, not too little.
When we talk about the New Politics, we’re actually talking about a very old idea: that people who disagree can have honest and frank discussions, and reach a conclusion they can both support. In most walks of life, that’s an unremarkable idea. I hope it won’t be too long before it catches on in Westminster too. Next year, during the referendum on voting reform, the Prime Minister and I will even show how you can politely disagree in public.
So, we have made a good start to an ambitious project, and we have a clear view of the stable, fair Britain we want to build. That’s our plan. And we will stick to it. (*)
