Tories blast 'green shoots' claim

Baroness Vadera said it was a 'very uncertain world'

Business minister Baroness Vadera's comment that she could see "a few green shoots" of recovery have been attacked by the Tories as "insensitive".

Shadow business secretary Alan Duncan said the comments, on ITV, showed ministers were "out of touch".

She told ITV it was still early but she was "seeing a few green shoots".

In 1991 then chancellor Lord Lamont was much criticised for saying he detected "the green shoots of economic spring", which was regarded as premature.

Baroness Vadera was asked when the UK could expect to see some "green shoots" and replied: "It's a very uncertain world right now globally... I wouldn't want to be the one predicting it."

"I am seeing a few green shoots but it's a little bit too early to say exactly how they'd grow."

'Unsuitability'

Mr Duncan said: "Shriti Vadera's comments go to show how out of touch and insensitive Gordon Brown's ministers are."

He said she had "just advertised her own unsuitability for addressing the difficulties that the victims of Gordon Brown's recession are facing".

It came as Barclays announced it was to cut 2,100 UK jobs while administrators of music chain Zavvi announced it would close a further 18 stores, with the loss of 353 jobs.

The PM is running around like a headless chicken from one bogus announcement to another and doing nothing for confidence David Cameron Small business loan plan unveiled Barclays planning 2,100 job cuts Zavvi to close another 18 stores

At prime minister's questions Conservative leader David Cameron challenged Mr Brown to repeat predictions made "just seven weeks ago" that the economy would start to grow again at the end of June.

When he did not, Mr Cameron said the reason the predictions were out, was because they were based on the temporary 2.5% VAT cut working but it had proved an "expensive failure" which had been "condemned" by retailers.

He said: "It is not just that the PM is running around like a headless chicken from one bogus announcement to another and doing nothing for confidence.

"Isn't the worst thing of all this; by spending