‘Recession has hit Bradford particularly hard’, Chancellor admits

George Osborne said he was “determined” to fix the area’s problems and make sure jobs were created in Bradford.

Yesterday, the Office for National Statistics revealed the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased by 0.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year – the third successive period of growth.

To mark the announcement, Mr Osborne visited the historic Pudsey textile firm Hainsworth to tell the national media that the country was on the “path to prosperity”.

The firm, which has remained in family hands since 1783, now exports its products to dozens of countries across the globe, including China, visited on a trade trip by Mr Osborne earlier this month.

The Telegraph & Argus asked Mr Osborne about research unveiled earlier this week, which showed that of the UK’s 12 largest cities, Bradford had emerged out of the recession in the worst position.

He said: “The recession five or six years ago hit Bradford particularly hard, like it hit the whole country.

“What I am determined to do is fix the problems we inherited from the previous Government and make sure we have jobs created in Bradford and the whole of West Yorkshire.”

Mr Osborne said traditional manufacturing played a key role in the creation of jobs, and held up Hainsworth as an example of a firm which was growing.

He said: “This is an outstanding example of a company that has been here for 200 years – how many businesses can say that? What’s really encouraging, and why I have brought the whole national media here to West Yorkshire on GDP day, is that this company is now exporting to China.”

Mr Osborne said that throughout Britain’s recent history, manufacturing jobs such as those in textiles had been lost to countries like China, so it was encouraging to see UK firms exporting British textiles to the far east.

He said: “It’s great to see a company like this exporting textiles to China. It is what the British economy needed and it’s what the Yorkshire economy needed.”