GET THE BELFAST TELEGRAPH NEWSPAPER DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR EVERY DAY

Belfast Telegraph

  • nijobfinder
  • nicarfinder
  • propertynews.com
  • Classified

Babies born in UK with £17,000 debt, say Tories

Monday, 12 January 2009

Rapidly-rising Government debt means every baby born in Britain starts life owing £17,000, Tory leader David Cameron said today as he launched a new publicity campaign.

His claim came as the Opposition unveiled a hard-hitting new poster designed to highlight what it calls Labour's "debt crisis".

The poster, which will be shown at 260 billboard sites across the country, features a photograph of a baby and the slogan: "Dad's nose, mum's eyes, Gordon Brown's debt - Labour debt crisis: Every child in Britain is born owing £17,000. They deserve better."

Mr Cameron said that with national debt set to top £1 trillion in several years' time, the interest payment alone amounted to more than was spent on educating the nation's children.

He said of the campaign: "I think it is an extremely powerful, important and responsible message that we are quite right to get across...

"Labour are getting it wrong. It's easy for politicians to talk about tax rates and borrowing as if there was no tomorrow, but there is a tomorrow and it is going to be paid for by our children.

"And every child born today is entering the world with £17,000 of Labour debt hanging over them."

Post a comment

Limit: 500 characters

View all comments that have been posted about this article

Comment
Your details

* Required field

Offensive or abusive comments will be removed and your IP address logged and may be used to prevent further submissions. In submitting a comment to the site, you agree to be bound by BelfastTelegraph.co.uk's Terms of Use.

Posts submitted in UPPERCASE letters will be rejected.

Columnist Comments

ed_curran

Swashbuckling Sir Reg finally delivers a shot across the bows

No matter how much positive spin is placed on the transfer of policing and justice powers to Stormont, concerns remain. Will what has not worked in the past be any better in the future?

In Pictures: The Troubles

Columnist Comments

eric_waugh

Horse first, then cart ... it’s time nationalists got real about unity

No political regime likes uncertainty. Talk of unexpected elections makes politicians twitchy. Meal tickets can be put at risk.

Columnist Comments

gail_walker

Why Christine really is the One

Isn't our own Christine Bleakley turning out to be a really class act? Her Sport Relief Waterski Challenge was a kind of David Walliams/Eddie Izzard moment when the Newtownards woman moved officially into the ranks of minor national treasure.

In Pictures: All Our Yesterdays

In Pictures: The Giant's Causeway

Day out at the Giant's Causeway, Antrim

TeleToons

TeleToons: Cartoons by Stevie Lee

Click here for audio version