Cameron’s fuel duty gamble

Talk to anyone in Downing Street and they can give you the four main reasons that voters cite for switching from the Tories to Labour: the Tory leadership is out of touch, the cost of living, immigration and welfare. The first two of these reasons are why the government has been prepared to risk further ridicule by changing the Budget again to postpone the 3p fuel increase planned for August until the end of the year.

The timing of today’s move, just hours after Ed Balls said Labour would call a Commons vote on the matter, will attract much Westminster comment. But the Tories are confident that this will pass most of the electorate by. Indeed, I suspect that this move is more defensive than anything else, an attempt to prevent any Olympic feel-good factor being wiped out by an August tax hike.

Andrew Cooper, David Cameron’s chief strategist and pollster, has long regarded the cost of living as one of the key political battlegrounds. The Tories will hope that the political hit from this latest Budget change will be more than compensated for by making it easier for Cameron to show that he gets it and is on the voter’s side as they try to make ends meet.