PM in biblical rebuke to archbishop

Dec 18 2008

The Government cannot "walk by on the other side" when people are suffering, Gordon Brown said in a biblical rebuke to the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Dr Rowan Williams likened the Prime Minister's plans to combat recession by boosting spending to an "addict returning to the drug".

And the head of the Church of England suggested the credit crunch was a welcome "reality check" for a society which has become driven by unsustainable greed.

Mr Brown said that as the son of a church minister he always listened to senior church figures and backed the Archbishop's call for action against irresponsible bankers.

"But I think the Archbishop would also agree with me that every time someone becomes unemployed or loses their home or a small business fails it is our duty to act and we should not walk by on the other side when people are facing problems," he said.

"That's the reason why our fiscal policy is designed to give real help to families and businesses and to give them that help now."