On Wednesday, the independent Office for National Statistics published the latest unemployment figures.
Having fallen by 15% in April and 15% in May, unemployment in Croydon Central fell by a further 14% in June. There are fewer people unemployed in my constituency today than at any time in my six and a bit years as an MP. Since Labour left office in May 2010, unemployment in our area has fallen by 64%.
The figures for youth unemployment are even better. It has fallen by 20% in just the last four weeks and since Labour left office it has fallen by an incredible 79%.
And with the Westfield Hammerson redevelopment of the Whitgift Centre due to get underway in less than a year’s time and major companies and government agencies moving back into Croydon, if we stick with this Government’s long-term economic plan we have an opportunity of achieving full employment - a job for everyone who wants one.