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Sustainable Economy > Published by Will Straw, April 27th 2010 at 4:35 pm

Ken Clarke: Government right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock

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Ken Clarke appeared to contradict his party’s shadow chancellor today when he outlined that the Labour government had been right to nationalise Northern Rock.

Ken Clarke made his admission on BBC Daily Politics’ Election Debate on business issues:

NEIL: Were they right to nationalise [Northern Rock]?

CLARKE: I think they were right to nationalise it.

NEIL: That’s not what your party said.

PESTON: So you’ve changed your position?

CLARKE: Well I wasn’t on the front bench at the time.

Watch it:

In February 2008 during passage of the Banking (Special Provision) Bill, which gave the Government the powers to take Northern Rock into public ownership, George Osborne said, “I am not in favour of nationalisation, full stop” and voted against the second and third reading of the bill. He told the Today programme that the plan was “completely unacceptable.”

  • http://twitter.com/sspcampsie/status/12951047509 SSP Campsie

    RT @leftfootfwd Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://short.to/27h71

  • http://twitter.com/samknight/status/12951103102 Sam Knight

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/raging_reg/status/12951153858 Raging Reg

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/jeevanrai/status/12951166213 Jeevan Rai

    RT @bencooper86: RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/raging_reg/status/12951228707 Raging Reg

    how do we trust the Tories on the economy when they are at odds with each other? http://bit.ly/9G8E8o #iagreewithnick #libdemwin

  • http://twitter.com/juvejon/status/12951383554 Jon Thomson

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/tabacaria/status/12951632696 Jose Aguiar

    Ken Clarke: Government right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock http://tinyurl.com/3azwsmf

  • http://twitter.com/sinnaluvva/status/12951731757 Malcolm Evison

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/redwidge/status/12952375415 Leepy Lee

    RT @bencooper86: RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/marcelthomson/status/12953104724 Marcel Thomson

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/houseoftwits/status/12950939496 House Of Twits

    RT @leftfootfwd Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/bencooper86/status/12950977223 Ben Cooper

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://www.ubervu.com/conversations/www.leftfootforward.org/2010/04/ken-clarke-government-right-and-osborne-wrong-on-northern-rock/ uberVU – social comments

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  • Mr. Sensible

    I noticed that too, Will.

    “I wasn’t on the front bench then.”

    And? You’re on it now, Ken.

    Oh dear…

  • Mr. Sensible

    I actually think Ken Clark could become a bit of a thorn in Cameron’s side.

    Like he was to Major.

  • http://twitter.com/deludeddonny/status/12955522015 Donovan Clarkson

    RT @bencooper86: RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/loopyb_75/status/12952996998 Louise John

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke says Government was right and (Gideon) Osborne wrong on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/vreade/status/12957135498 VReade

    RT @leftfootfwd Ken Clarke says Government was right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock nationalisation http://bit.ly/9G8E8o

  • http://twitter.com/scarrbrown/status/12995461962 Sharon Carr-Brown

    RT @leftfootfwd: Ken Clarke: Government right (and Osborne wrong) on Northern Rock http://bit.ly/9G8E8o