Ed Balls replies to Tony Blair

Ed Balls, in an interview with Matthew d’Ancona for GQ, has finally replied to the suggestion by Tony Blair in his memoir A Journey that the Shadow Chancellor does not “get” aspiration:

I had a couple of conversations with Tony Blair where he would say he was worried that [a measure] would hit people with middle incomes and I would say: ‘What do you think middle incomes are?’ and he would say: ‘£50-60,000.’ I said [that the] middle income for a family is actually £26-27,000, and for an individual it is £18,000, and Tony would say: ‘Oh, the statistics must be wrong.’

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• http://www.facebook.com/people/Francis-Lewis-Edward-Bond/669865293 Francis Lewis Edward Bond

  He has not ‘finally replied’ anyone who followed the Labour leadership 2 years knows he said this a thousand times on the trail. Lazy journalism.

• http://twitter.com/JohnRentoul John Rentoul

  As Blair’s book was published on 1 Sept 2010, and the leadership election ended on 25 Sept, I think that is unlikely. Grateful for any instances of Ed Balls saying this before, though. 

• http://twitter.com/northernheckler nilsinela boray

  No one seems to have mentioned that “middle” is a relative term, and always depends on what you’re comparing it with. In terms of the range of incomes in the UK, I’d say they’re probably both right actually, Personally I’d say salaries start to be thought of as properly “high” when they get much above £80,000 and properly low when they’re below £13,000

• http://twitter.com/AlexConnor Alex Connor

  It was quoted, in this very organ, on 7 Sept 2011 : 
  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/diary/diary-will-elton-back-brians-bid-2350257.html