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Watch: Richard Burgon struggles with the deficit (again)

When Richard Burgon appeared on Channel 4 News last year to defend John McDonnell over his fiscal charter U-turn, the shadow City Minister struggled to make a good impression. On top of not knowing what the deficit was expected to be for 2015, he appeared to concede that he was yet to meet with anyone in the City.

So, it was a marked improvement on today’s Daily Politics when Burgon actually managed to name the current deficit amount. He then went on to say that his party was committed to getting the deficit down. So, how would they go about doing this?

RB: Through investment for long term growth

AN: But doesn’t that cost you more money?

RB: I’ll use flooding as an example, for every pound that the government has saved on flood defences it’s cost the economy eight pounds

AN: But doesn’t that mean at least in the short term that to pay for the flooding, to pay for the other investments that you’d want to do, to pay for that — at least in the next couple of years — the deficit would have to go up

RB: Borrowing to invest needs to occur. Labour is firmly committed to getting the deficit down

AN: When would it start to go down?

RB: Labour won’t be in government until 2020 at the earliest

AN: So, do you accept that it would have to go up before it went down?

RB: I don’t accept that, no

Alas Burgon’s suggestion that he would be able to borrow more without increasing the deficit — even in the short term — appeared to fall flat with viewers:

https://twitter.com/GTMelhuish/status/705373501084065792

Perhaps Burgon can turn to Labour’s new on/off ‘adviser‘ Yanis Varoufakis for some tips on reducing the deficit… or not.

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Steerpike is The Spectator's gossip columnist, serving up the latest tittle tattle from Westminster and beyond. Email tips to steerpike@spectator.co.uk or message @MrSteerpike

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