Government must get banks lending for firms to invest in recovery says Thurso

12.00.00am GMT Thu 25th Feb 2010

"Banks are failing to meet their lending commitments, starving businesses of capital needed for investment," said the Liberal Democrat Shadow Business Secretary.

Commenting on today's figures from the ONS showing that investment by British businesses was 24.1% lower at the end of 2009 than at the start, the worst decline since records began, John Thurso said:

"This dramatic slump in business investment bodes ill for economic recovery.

"Banks are failing to meet their lending commitments, starving businesses of capital needed for investment.

"The Government needs to get a grip and make sure the banks' lending agreements are more concrete and better policed so that recovery doesn't peter out."