"The British screwed us." Quotes of the Week

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Hank Paulson gets angry, Gordon Brown gets defensive and Barack Obama is left a little red-faced. It must be Quotes of the Week!

"The British screwed us." Hank Paulson's words when he learnt of the Financial Services Authority's (FSA) decision not to approve a guarantee which would have allowed Barclays to buy Lehman. "I think its right to have run a large deficit. It's been essential to the recovery." Gordon Brown being questioned by a committee of senior MPs, insisting he was right to borrow so heavily to fund public spending during the downturn. "The message came back that while the FSA agreed that it does not have jurisdiction over contractual law, it does have jurisdiction over issuing bank licences ...

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