You’ve got to hand it to Alistair Darling: he really does seem to be making the most of his post-reshuffle security. His interview with the Telegraph’s Ben Brogan today is a case in point. Once again, he goes against the Brown/Mandelson claim that there won’t be a spending review before the next election. But it’s this passage which jumped out at me:
“In another departure from Mr Brown, he even talks about reversing tax increases, including the planned rise in the top rate to 50p on those earning more than £150,000. ‘Looking into the future I would like to be able to reduce tax. Raising the top rate is something I didn’t want to do.'”
Brown will be livid. Just imagine: a Chancellor who speaks against the authority of Number 10. Not only will this provide ammo for the Tories, but it could just encourage a few would-be Labour plotters to act against their increasingly powerless PM.
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