Government Response

The Government responded to this petition on Sunday 22nd July 2012

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

This Government is fully committed to a programme of work that will continue to the next election – in May 2015 – and beyond. In 2010, the Coalition parties came together in the national interest and formed a Government at a time of real economic danger. The deficit was spiralling out of control, confidence was plummeting and the world was looking to Britain with growing anxiety about our ability to service our debts.

This Government’s most urgent job was to restore stability in our public finances and confidence in the British economy. In just two years we cut the deficit by a quarter and set out a credible path towards our goal to balance the current budget over the economic cycle. Yet we have also taken action to ensure that we build a stronger, more balanced economy capable of delivering lasting growth and widely shared prosperity.

We have had to make some difficult choices, but we have not baulked at the tough decisions needed to secure Britain’s future. Whether it is reducing the deficit, rebalancing the economy, regulating the banks, tackling climate change, modernising our energy and transport infrastructure, putting our universities on a sustainable financial footing or dealing with the challenges of an ageing population and reforming public sector pensions, we have consistently chosen to do what is right over what is easy or popular; what is in our country’s long-term interest over our parties’ short-term interest.

We have recently published a Mid Term Review document, setting out our achievements to date, and we will continue to put political partisanship to one side to govern in the interests of the country.

This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.