Red Ed said
‘It’s the classic Tory con. And what about their decision on petrol? He’s done the same thing again. He’s cut duty by 1 pence. But he’s whacked up VAT on fuel by 3p’ (Budget Response, Labour Party website, 23 March 2011, link).
- Truth:
o Labour’s planned Fuel Duty Escalator increase on 1 April would have added 5p to the cost of fuel.
o The Government has cut Fuel Duty by 1p with no increase for the rest of the year.
o So Fuel Duty is 6p lower than under Labour this year.
o Even with the VAT rise, the cost of fuel will be 3p lower from April than under Labour’s plans.
- Ed Miliband said Labour would have made cuts this year. ‘We would be halving the deficit over four years so there would be cuts if Labour was in power’
- (Ed Miliband, BBC News, 23 March 2011).
- Under the Darling plan there would have been £14 billion of cuts in 2011-12. As per Table 1.1 of the June Budget and Table A.2 of the spending review Labour’s spending cuts in 2011-12, compared to 2010-11, amount to £14 billion; while the Government’s spending cuts in 2011-12, compared to 2010-11, amount to £16 billion’ (Hansard, 3 March 2011, Col. 538WA). link).
- But today Ed Balls says he would not make £14 billion of cuts in 2011-12. He said this is a ‘Conservative lie’ (BBC Budget Live, 23 March 2011), but it is clearly printed in paragraph 1.13 of the Budget.
Sandwell Tory said
It seems Labours only Policy is to deny their own policy? and I have to ask did Red Ed forget his lot had put up the price of petrol, with the rise to go on in April 2011???
Such short memories tut tut