Poll reveals 93% back 10p tax compensation call

  Okay, okay - it's completely unscientific. I set it up on Labourhome. But on a night when Labour's Prime Minister is forced to take time out from a trip to upgrade Britain's relationship with the USA to 'very special' from 'special' to keep an unpaid junior minister in post over the 10p tax band fiasco, there is a certain sense of satisfaction that you are on to something.

As a former lobby correspondent, I was disgracefully slow in picking up on 2 April the suspension of an Early Day Motion on the Abolition of the 10 pence tax rate. But still not as slow as the Prime Minister in picking up the warning signs. He has now left it too late before the 1 May elections to agree to make sure no one loses from this measure announced in his last Budget speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2007.

Too late? Well apparently there is a convention established by civil servants that governments don't make announcements likely to influence the outcome of an election in the three weeks before polling day. It must be true because Home Secretary Jacqui Smith got ticked off by the Cabinet Office opposition Conservative Party for announcing 300 extra anti-terror police on Wednesday.

So what kept Angela Smith in post as PPS to Yvette Cooper? If she was told: "Psst, just hang on until after the local elections, but don't tell anyone", I think everyone needs to know, we need their votes.

Comments

[Robert]

300 more Police just before they vote for the 42 day detention, bit obvious.

Mind you we had a bit of bad news in my area Trostre the last of the steel industry in my area is to close, well we did expect it when the Indian Company took it over, we all said to Labour we hope this is not a strip and move take over, Labour said no they had assurances this would not happen in the foreseeable future, this comment was made on March 13th 2008, to day we are told the majority of the working staff are to be made redundant, I bet Labour are thinking my god man we asked you to do it after May 1st.

My worry is now that Land rover and Jaguar will go the same way, I mean why make cars here which are so expensive when you can make them in India for half the price and flog them back to us for the rich to enjoy.

Not a good period for Brown is it.

[David Floyd]

Hang on! Wasn't removing the 10p band government policy when Angela Smith got her PPS job in the first place?

She can't have been concentrating very hard during GB's budget speech last year if she's only just worked out she disagrees with it.

[Peter Kenyon]

Dear David

Ooch...too harsh. Frank Field tabled a proposal during the passage of the Finance Bill 2007 to have the adverse effects reviewed. It was withdrawn in the interests of party unity ahead of GB's coronation as Party Leader..and the rest in history.

Who is to blame for failing to honour an 'undertaking' to look at the downside last year? It looks like another example of GB being too wooden by half to be entrusted with the Leadership of the Labour Party much longer.

[Robert]

Who would you put in his place, most are so Blairite they make Blair look good.