Party Lines: October 25th

By Mark Ferguson / @markfergusonuk

Tonight Labour leads a Populus poll for the first time since 2007 (38/37/16), but the majority of the day’s events were focussed on the CBI conference in central London at which both Ed Miliband and the Prime Minister spoke.

Miliband spoke to BBC News after his speech, and while David Cameron was talking growth today, significant cuts have already taken place which could harm business:

“I welcome any measures that are taken to support new industries but the truth is that some of the biggest cuts we’ve seen actually in the business department that is precisely supporting the industries of the future.

Miliband also reiterated his support for a graduate tax, despite reports suggesting that his shadow chancellor Alan Johnson is against the idea:

“What I want to see is a more progressive system of funding in higher education. We’re going to push the government in creating that system and look at the Browne review to see what it comes up with. But I’m very clear… I believe the graduate tax is the best policy, definitely and we need to look to see how we can implement it and the principals underlying a graduate tax.”

John Denham, the shadow business minister, took a similar tack in his interview with the BBC today, pointing out the massive cuts in the department run by his opposite number, Vince Cable:

“The truth is though, that the main department that’s responsible for promoting growth, the department of business, innovation and skills, has actually had its capital budget cut by half, it’s revenue budget cut by 25%.”

“The money which at the moment goes to regions, about one and a half billion pounds a year has actually been cut to one and a half billion pounds over three years. Everywhere you look the government is actually pulling support back from business, aside from the few headlines that David Cameron picked out today.”

And Andy Burnham commented on another embarrasing climbdown for Michael Gove, this time over the “pupil premium” – after the education secretary was forced to admit the money was being “recycled” from the schools budget:

“Michael Gove is under pressure on two fronts as his misleading presentation of the facts on schools funding catches up with him.“

“The Education Secretary, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister have repeatedly told Parliament and the public that the pupil premium would be additional to the schools budget. Today Michael Gove was forced to admit that this is not true.”