Labour's Shadow Business Secretary slams Tory MP’s email describing EMDA as 'wasteful'

Labour’s Shadow Business Secretary, Pat McFadden MP, had today slammed an email sent by a Conservative MP which describes the East Midlands Development Agency as ‘wasteful’.

The email has been sent by Conservative MP for Dudley South, Chris Kelly. In the email he asks recipients if they are unhappy with the agency and encourages them to publicly support the Conservative plans to scrap them.

Responding to the email, Pat McFadden said:

"This email will continue to cause damaging uncertainty about the future of EMDA and the other RDAs. First the Tories say they will get rid of the RDAs, then they back peddle when business objects, then Vince Cable seemed to say both that they would get rid of them and that whatever replaced them would look the same and now we have this email.

"For recovery to take hold we need stability and clarity here and the Government's policy on RDAs is giving anything but that. We need RDAs to be working with business, supporting regional economies and helping growth take hold. This constant hostility to RDAs will only be damaging to regional economies including here in the East Midlands."

Ends

Notes to Editors:

Copy of the letter that Chris Kelly has sent:

Dear all,

As you may be aware, the recently elected Coalition Government is taking forward plans to scrap the wasteful Regional Development Agencies (like Advantage West Midlands & the East Midlands Development Agency) and replace them with a more targeted, business-based local economic partnership. If you are unhappy with RDAs like AWM & EMDA (and think the money could better directed etc) and would be prepared to publicly support the Government's policy please e-mail me ASAP on

office@tellchris.com