BUDGET DODGES CRUCIAL ISSUES - HOWARTH

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 12th Mar 2008

Commenting on Alistair Darling's budget proposal, David Howarth MP said:

"This budget is by no means a green budget and everyone can see through this smokescreen of so-called green policies.

"This government is dodging the real environmental issues and hoping that people won't notice."

Commenting on housing policies, he added:

"The housing situation in Cambridge is a matter of great concern. With house prices steadily decreasing, more and more Cambridge residents have to face negative equity and see their financial situation getting tighter and tighter.

"The Chancellor seems to believe that our economic situation is only due to the American housing crash. But he's also to blame. Though the American crisis had real repercussions, the situation could have been handled in a much better way.

"It's the Chancellor's own mismanagement that is at fault. It's easy to blame someone else while doing nothing to help people with high mortgages."

ENDS