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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Budget 2015: Harriet Harman says families will still suffer | Budget 2015: Harriet Harman says families will still suffer |
| (7 days later) | |
| Working families will still suffer despite George Osborne's Budget pledge of a National Living Wage, Labour says. | |
| The party's acting leader Harriet Harman said the government's rhetoric was "liberated from reality". | The party's acting leader Harriet Harman said the government's rhetoric was "liberated from reality". |
| She said her party would give "serious consideration" to some measures and be a "different kind of opposition". | She said her party would give "serious consideration" to some measures and be a "different kind of opposition". |
| She accused the Tories of "ducking" out of a decision on expanding airport capacity and said apprenticeship numbers were "stagnating". | She accused the Tories of "ducking" out of a decision on expanding airport capacity and said apprenticeship numbers were "stagnating". |
| Mr Osborne's first Budget of the Conservative government included a freeze on working-age benefits for four years, a pledge to spend 2% of GDP on defence and a four-year cap on public-sector pay rises. | |
| 'Northern power cut' | 'Northern power cut' |
| He also introduced a new National Living Wage which would rise to £9 an hour by 2020. | |
| In her response, Ms Harman said she would resist the temptation to "oppose everything the government does". | In her response, Ms Harman said she would resist the temptation to "oppose everything the government does". |
| She said Labour supported measures including lowering the welfare cap and would have made cuts to unprotected departments had it been in power. | She said Labour supported measures including lowering the welfare cap and would have made cuts to unprotected departments had it been in power. |
| In a reference to the cheering on the Conservative benches when the living wage was announced, she said: "Clearly what honourable members do not understand is that even with the higher national wage that he's announced it will not be enough for a family to live on because of the cuts in tax credits." | In a reference to the cheering on the Conservative benches when the living wage was announced, she said: "Clearly what honourable members do not understand is that even with the higher national wage that he's announced it will not be enough for a family to live on because of the cuts in tax credits." |
| She also criticised the government for delaying the electrification of the railway line between Manchester and Leeds, saying: "The great Northern Powerhouse is starting to look like the great Northern power cut." | She also criticised the government for delaying the electrification of the railway line between Manchester and Leeds, saying: "The great Northern Powerhouse is starting to look like the great Northern power cut." |
| Labour would support the raising of the 40p tax threshold and the lifting of the personal allowance but would study the detail of both measures, she added. | Labour would support the raising of the 40p tax threshold and the lifting of the personal allowance but would study the detail of both measures, she added. |
| Speaking to BBC News, shadow chancellor Chris Leslie questioned whether the measures prioritised by the chancellor would boost productivity. | Speaking to BBC News, shadow chancellor Chris Leslie questioned whether the measures prioritised by the chancellor would boost productivity. |
| He said "manifesto promise after manifesto promise" was being "thrown out" by the Conservatives. | He said "manifesto promise after manifesto promise" was being "thrown out" by the Conservatives. |
| "They won an election in some respects on a false prospectus," he added. | "They won an election in some respects on a false prospectus," he added. |