Conduct Of The Rt Hon Member For Yeovil And Southampton

EDM number 1045 in 1994-95, proposed by John Denham on 27/04/1995.

That this House notes with concern that the Right honourable Member for Yeovil, interviewed on the Today programme about Labour's record, described Southampton as a rotten inner city borough; notes that, in contrast, the Chief Economist of the National Westminster Bank has written of 'recovery across a broad spectrum of activity'; notes also that the Southern Daily Echo has rightly highlighted the encouragement to industrial development prompted by the success of the port and airport; notes that a recent survey of the top local business showed that not one planned to move away from Southampton and that nearly 40 per cent. were planning to expand; welcomes the partnership between the city council and private developers which will bring ú250 million of private investment, 3,000 jobs and 20 million visitors into the city centre; believes that the Daily Echo was right to conclude that 'it's not just commerce that is making Southampton such a good place at the moment' and to highlight city council leisure and cultural successes; believes further that the success of Southampton owes a great deal to the vision and commitment of the Labour-led City Council and its willingness to work in partnership with the private sector; notes that Liberal Democrats have opposed the city centre development, opposed plans for a new community stadium and opposed plans to expand the port; and believes that the Right honourable Member for Yeovil and his party should apologise for denigrating Southampton and for opposing almost everything which will help to take the city even further forward.

This motion has been signed by a total of 15 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.