Steve Richards has landed an interview with Ed Balls in today’s Independent. The schools secretary discusses the Sats fiasco, but it’s the same old story – he declines to apologise, and frequently deploys the phrase “arm’s length”. But he’s a bit more revealing when it comes to the subject of where it’s gone wrong for Gordon Brown this year, and what Labour’s prospects are for the future. Here are some key quotes:
“The 10p tax was a mistake. Other things have not gone right, sometimes through no fault of our own, sometimes because of ministerial decisions…
…It’s going to get tougher before it gets easier. Higher gas and electricity bills will have an impact through the autumn and as you get closer to the winter this will become more of an issue … The question is how that whole process will be managed from the fiscal side, what happens to utility bills, the state of the financial markets…
…I don’t think anyone believes a change of leader would do any good at all … Gordon has the experience, policy and vision.
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