PM Cameron yesterday defended the government’s spending and welfare cuts, and pledged to continue them and to stop at nothing to defend British capitalism.
However, he admitted to a lack of vision saying: ‘I cannot predict how this crisis will end for others. And I cannot pretend that Britain will be immune from the consequences, either.’
Labour leader Ed Miliband responded to the speech with a superficial attack on the prime minister for not delivering recovery.
He said: ‘David Cameron isn’t part of the solution, he is part of the problem. He promised Britain there would be recovery and he has delivered a recession.’
Miliband added: ‘All of Europe’s leaders, including David Cameron, bear responsibility for the fact that over the last two years they haven’t sorted out the problems of the eurozone and they haven’t had a proper plan for growth and jobs in Europe.’
Cameron stressed to business leaders: ‘We are living in perilous economic times.
‘Turn on the TV news and you see the return of a crisis that never really went away. Greece on the brink; the survival of the Euro in question. Faced with this, I have a clear task: to keep Britain safe.
‘Not to take the easy course – but the right course. Not to dodge responsibility for dealing with a debt crisis – but to lead our country through this to better times.’
Putting on a brave front, Cameron continued: ‘My message today is that it can be done. We are well on the way in this journey.’
He boasted: ‘Since we took office two years ago, we have cut the deficit by more than a quarter.’
He insisted that ‘now more than ever this is the time to stand firm.’
He warned that ‘we face three challenges.
‘First, the struggle to recover from a long and deep recession at home.
‘Second, the turbulence coming from the Eurozone.
‘And third, the uncertainty over whether the world is on the right economic path, with debates about trade policy and how to support growth.
‘We need to find the right answer to all three.’
He insisted: ‘Deficit reduction and growth are not alternatives. Delivering the first is vital in securing the second.’
Signalling a stepping up of the war on the working class, he said: ‘As we prepare for the potential storms we should be both resolute and confident.’