Another Tory politician ignores Economics.

Heather Wheeler (the Tory MP) was trying to deflect and fight negative comments about Bombardier losing the contract, and to do so couldn't release the bid difference, so she invented a huge difference as an example, hoping constituents would be stupid enough to believe it was actually the difference.  I would be amazed if they bid even 2x as much as Siemans; but at 2x it would still be a better bargain for Britain.  It would keep a heavy manufacturing business alive and capable of taking more contracts; it would use British workers in Britain, which means those salaries be used locally, providing 100% stimulus to the local economy. 

In contrast, Siemans is offshore, so the supposedly-lower payment won't be spent in GB/UK locally, instead stimulating foreign economies.  Any 'trickle-down' effect on the UK economy is spurious at best. If you want to try that experiment, take £10,000, convert it to a country likely to actually produce the trains, mark those notes, make consumer-sized purchases (equivalent to £100 ea) in that country, track the movements and conversions. It will take a very long time to get back to UK soil in terms of £ notes being paid as salary to UK citizens.

Ms. Wheeler is blithely ignorant of the basics of economics.  However, as an MP she should be reminded that the primary responsibility of a government is to take care of one's own citizens in one's own country; including spending taxpayer money to stimulate the local economy instead of a foreign economy.  Wheeler's constituents should send her back to obscurity if she's exaggeratedthe difference: misleading constituents to squelch opposition is unacceptable.

Note to HP;  Apparently HPUK doesn't understand the economic significance of the Bombardier case of of HUPK.  For your perusal, here's a brief explanation of the economics of articles vs. links/thumbnails. 

♦  A link or a thumbnail makes for zero comments. 
♦  HP's comments system is what put it on the map: It's vastly superior to the UK sites where I write, comment or read.
♦  Good articles brings in lots of commenters in addition to readers, increasing traffic and time spent on site.
♦  Higher traffic/time means more advertisers, higher ad prices.  That pays HP's bills. 
♦  HPUK needs traffic/time to pay its bills. 
♦  Thumbnailing/linking lowers traffic/time, hurts ad revenues. 

Ms. Huffington knows this; smart editors pay attention and make the magic happen.