Caroline Flint challenged David Laws over the cuts to jobs for young people in Doncaster during the Chief Secretary to the Treasury’s first and last parliamentary debate before his resignation over his expenses claims.

Ms Flint challenged the Con-Dem coalition’s decision to scrap the future jobs fund, as part of the first six billion pounds of cuts announced by the new Government

In a Commons debate, Ms Flint said: “I am firm believer that we should provide real opportunities and have employers at the heart of devising these schemes. What on earth is to be gained by taking away resources from the future jobs fund, which I understand means that there will be 80,000 fewer job opportunities working with employers around the country?”

Mr Laws said:  “We are maintaining the young person’s guarantee. I have to tell the right hon. Lady that the clear advice that we have had is that that particular part of the young person’s guarantee was simply not effective and was wasteful.” 

Speaking after the debate, Caroline Flint said:  “The Coalition has shown its true colours in the first major announcement of the new Government.  First, Laws and Osborne announced the cuts at a press conference, instead of reporting it first to parliament, more concerned to talk to City traders than to parliament.

“Secondly, the claim they made during the election that the £6billion would be efficiency savings has proved to be nonsense.  The Future Jobs Fund was a real programme providing real jobs in partnership with local employers.  It is not an efficiency saving to put young people back on the dole.

“It is quite clear that the only guarantee Mr Laws and Mr Osborne can offer young people in Doncaster is a guarantee of less help from Government and fewer jobs.  If this is the approach of the Con-Dem Coalition then we have a fight on our hands.”