Brown needs to look at his fuel gauge
James Forsyth 10:15am
The Mirror and The Sun both devote their lead editorial to arguing against the planned rise in vehicle excise duty and the rising cost of fuel. The Mirror—which is the one reliably pro-Brown paper in Fleet Street—leader will cause particular concern among jittery Labour MPs.
It warns that the “rebellion…has the potential to be more damaging than the row over the 10p tax rate.” It urges Brown to “act now, signal that a 2p rise in fuel duty will not go ahead and make clear he is listening on vehicle excise duty.”
42 days and the vehicle excise duty revolt will give us our first guide to how much Brown’s authority among his backbenchers has been diminished by the triple-whammy of bad election results. The question is will Labour MPs pull away from confrontation fearful of doing more damage to Brown or will they pile in anyway, not caring—or maybe even hoping—that this might speed his departure.
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Comments
Tom
May 27th, 2008 11:40amOne would have thought that the rises in oil costs would more than make up for an added "environmental tax" on petrol. The 2p rise has nothing to do the environment.
Disraeli's Ghost
May 27th, 2008 11:40amShouldn't you green Cameroons be all in favour of a rise in fule tax?
Ian C
May 27th, 2008 11:47amOn top of fuel and car tax, just wait 'til this sort of thing comes to the UK: (from WSJ Online today)
"In California's Sacramento County, sales of single-family homes totaled 1,669 in April, up 41% from a year earlier, according to DataQuick Information Systems, a research firm. The median sales price was $226,250, down 34%."
Then let's see how his party still want him to lead them into the next election - not to mention how many 'middle class' voters there will be hailing him as the 'Great Leader'!
Liz Brown
May 27th, 2008 11:56amThe 2p fuel tax escalator is a problem for the future - I want a massive reduction NOW. Ooops what was than pink thing I just saw flying over my roof?
Water
May 27th, 2008 12:23pmSeeing as the budget proposals take effect in 2009 and the GE (at the very latest) in 2010, it’s not the best move. Also the fact that “Nissan Micra owners will pay 24 per cent more while the bill for a gas-guzzling Hummer will go up only 14 per cent” (M. Lea) is something rather puzzling to say the least.
Athesius the Facilitator
May 27th, 2008 12:50pmThis environmental thing does not wash with the public any more.Even the biggest political moron of deepest darkest Grangetown, Middlesbrough are aware that GREEN is a tax thing without (hopefully) political backlash. Should the incumbents of Downing Street not do what is right for the country and not the party of their own affiliation. The way ahead for the world is Nuclear power why do they not just crack on with it and stop putting off what is the inevitable. Imagine plugging your electric car into the household supply. No more garages, no more pollution plus lots of other wonderful positives, result "Nirvana" trouble is I'll be dead by then.
Alfred T Mahan
May 27th, 2008 1:37pmTax - whether on petrol, heating oil, candlesticks or anything else - is only half the equation. I badly want fuel tax down, but not if it isn't matched with (or exceeded by, preferably) cuts in government expenditure. That's the real elephant in the room, and Our Gordon is constitutionally incapable of cutting it.
David C
May 27th, 2008 1:53pmBrown playing political games with 'Green Politics', trying to outflank Cameron.
I've changed my mind. Brown is a liability for Labour that outweighs all other factors.
The Labour Party should get rid of him ASAP and pray that the damage to their party will only last ten years.
Trumpeter Lanfried
May 27th, 2008 2:48pmWhat incentive do Labour MPs have to vote for 42 days or higher taxes? Three line whip? You must be joking! Half the whips will lose their seats in 2010.
And they know if they dig their heels in Brown will crumble.
john
May 27th, 2008 3:24pmDaily one wonders which clunking government proposal will turn out to be Brown's Poll Tax. The one you finally can't get away with. Well this could be it. Look out as either this bright idea joins the Identity card initiative and the 10p tax band (and 42 days?)in the wilderness of failed gaffes (just how many times can a government back down?)..... or he does.
Tina
May 27th, 2008 3:32pmI totally support the Truckers on this . They are being put out of business because foreign truckers can fill up with diesel, for a much lower price, on the Continent and then undercut our Truckers prices here in Britain.
Jess
May 27th, 2008 3:34pmChickens are coming home to roost, big time!
Tony M
May 27th, 2008 3:36pmBack to OLD Labour same old, same old. The last ten years have been an illusion, financed by debt, government and personal.
Dogface
May 27th, 2008 3:37pmHow many cars liable for the big hike in VED are manufactured (albeit by Japanese companies) in this country? Does Snottler want to make their employees redundant?
Joey
May 27th, 2008 4:17pmThe parallels between this government and John Major's is becoming ever more striking. It is now 'the people V the government', on nearly every issue. It is not the tories landing knock out blows on Brown it's the people/electorate.
Carol-Ann
May 27th, 2008 4:18pmIs it me or is Brown determined to alienate every part of society or what?
Daniella
May 27th, 2008 4:25pmThis governement is definately on it's way out. When it becomes a case of them standing up TO the electorate not standing up FOR the electorate, the game is surely up. It happens to the best of them: Thatcher, Major, Blair......
David C
May 27th, 2008 4:37pmThe Labour Party should forget Cameron and think more about Portillo, standing on that stage in 1997...
Blairsupporter
May 27th, 2008 4:53pmJoey when it gets to the, 'the people V the government' stage there can be only one loser, the GOVERNMENT. It's a question of when not if.
Commondog
May 27th, 2008 7:31pmDogface.
Grrrrrr
Sam
May 28th, 2008 10:14amBrown must balance the taxes on fuel between the UK and Europe. Lorries entering the UK full of cheap fuel must be taxed on fuel and pay road tax for using our roads. Why can the goverment not act, its not rocket science. Conservatives need to learn from this too so they dont make the same mistakes.