Day 3: Protecting And Creating Jobs Must Be Our Priority

A great day of campaigning so far today in North Durham. An excellent response on the doorsteps, with plenty of lifelong Labour voters telling me that they were ready to vote for change and vote for a progressive Tory candidate, with a real passion for the North East and the area.

So many people mention the major problems that unemployment is causing in the area. Since late 2007, unemployment in the constituency has increased by about 140%. Almost every family in the constituency has been directly or indirectly affected by the unemployment caused by Gordon Brown's recession.

We need to do all that we can to protect jobs and create jobs in the area. That most certainly does not mean increasing the costs on business at a time like this, which is what the Government's proposed National Insurance increase will do. I have spoken to small business owners who are very concerned about the potential effect that the National Insurance increase will have on their business and their worries about the effect it will have on jobs.

That is why we need to ensure that Gordon Brown's proposed National Insurance rise must not happen in full. The potential impact on jobs will be devastating. And job creation must be a major priority in North Durham, so badly hit by unemployment in the past few years.

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