Cornwall Labour Party has given a cautious welcome to news that the economy showed a 0.1% growth in the 4^th quarter of 2009.  This has come just days after employment figures showed that 9168 in the county are out of work compared to 28,572 in 1992. 

  Jude Robinson, Spokesperson for Cornwall Labour Party and Parliamentary Candidate for Camborne & Redruth (including Hayle) said:

  “Labour has given people in Cornwall the dignity of a national minimum wage and relatively low unemployment even during recession. 

“The banking crisis produced the most difficult economic conditions for a generation but the our government’s support for people through recession has produced positive results. 

“Last week, a comparison of unemployment figures showed that jobless figures in Cornwall were a third of what they were during the Tories’ last recession in 1992. 

“My memories of that time are still raw: thousands of people in Cornwall desperately looking for work at £1 or £1.50 an hour, while the Tories claimed it was a price worth paying.

“The 0.1% growth rate is low but in line with government forecasts for recovery and it is very important that we continue support for the economy instead of the reckless cuts promised by both Tories and Lib Dems.”

The Head of the IMF said last week, "if you exit too early (from the stimulus steps), then you'll have the risk of going back into recession," (Dominique Strauss-Kahn, 18 January 2010, Wall Street Journal).

ENDS