MP slams Cameron ‘riots’ warning

Date published: 01/07/2009

AN MP has hit out at Tory leader David Cameron’s claim that keeping the public in the dark over any spending cuts could lead to rioting on the streets.

Immigration Minister and Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Phil Woolas, who witnessed Oldham’s 2001 riots, said his comments were not only dangerous but showed his inexperience at dealing with such issues.

Mr Cameron said the public needed to be prepared for a harsh economic future whoever wins the next election — if Britain was to avoid an angry backlash when spending was slashed to tackle the debt crisis.

He said: “I would rather fight an election on a straightforward, frank and honest platform than just try to pretend ‘oh, it’s all fine’.

“That would be the worst of it. You go in to an election pretending you are not going to have to make spending reductions, then you have to make them and then you really do have riots on the streets because people do not have faith in their politicians.”

But Mr Woolas said: “It is a dangerous thing to say. Politicians should be extremely careful in making such predictions which can become self-fulfilling.”