British prime minister Gordon Brown and Conservative leader David Cameron clashed in parliament today over the economy and defence in a taste of the arguments set to dominate the campaign next month’s election.
A day after Mr Brown set the Ma\y 6th election date, Mr Cameron accused him in the House of Commons of wrecking the economic recovery with plans to raise taxes and of failing to give British troops in Afghanistan enough helicopters.
Amid noisy shouts from MPs, Mr Brown in turn said the Conservatives would put growth and jobs at risk with their plans for public spending cuts to pay down the gaping budget deficit.
The economy and nurturing the fledging recovery are set to dominate the election, in which the Conservatives are bidding to end 13 years of rule by the Labour Party.
"This prime minister would wreck the recovery by putting a tax on every job, on everyone earning over £20,000, a tax on aspiration, a tax on every business in the country - this government would wreck the recovery," Mr Cameron said, referring to Brown's plans to raise payroll taxes.
Mr Brown retorted that to withdraw £6 billion pounds from the economy, as he says the Conservatives plan to do, would put jobs, businesses and growth at risk."We cannot cut our way to recovery but we could cut our way to double-dip recession," he said.
While the Conservatives lead in the polls, many surveys suggest they will fall short of a parliamentary majority, resulting in a "hung parliament" that financial markets fear will lack the will to slash a budget deficit forecast at £163 billion, 11 per cent of Gross Domestic Product, this year.
Mr Brown's last parliamentary questions session before the election gave the main party leaders the chance to rehearse lines they will use in three pre-election televised debates - a first for British politics.
Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg also attacked Labour. "We all remember back in 1997 the hope and the promise of this new government. Look at them now, you've failed. It's over. It's time to go," he said to loud cheers from opposition MPs.
The Conservatives switched focus last week by saying they would exempt most Britons from the planned payroll tax rise, funding the measure through efficiency savings worth an initial £6 billion.
Bosses of some of Britain's biggest companies backed the Conservatives over the payroll tax but Mr Brown told GMTV today the executives had been "deceived".
Mr Cameron repeatedly accused the prime minister of failing to give Britain's 9,500 troops in Afghanistan enough helicopters when they were sent to combat Taliban insurgents in the southern province of Helmand.
Mr Brown denied the charge. "We have done our best to equip our troops and we will continue to do so."
Reuters