Is Darling set to axe the fuel duty rise?

Alistair Darling’s interviewed in today’s Standard and, in response to a question about vehicle excise duty, he says:

“I think the bigger question for motorists, frankly, is the fuel duty … That’s something you pay every week, not once a year, and that is something that we in government are very focused upon.”

Which is – I think rightly – being read as a strong sign he’ll axe the 2p rise in fuel duty planned for this October.

I guess it would be U-turn No.1,347 for Darling, but it’s a good U-turn nonetheless. At a time when huge swathes of the British public are struggling with the cost of living, there’s a strong moral case against increasing the price of fuel. And it’s a case that the Chancellor finally seems to have heard.

For this government, though, the problem is that they can introduce popular measures without increasing their own popularity. One of the most striking elements of the 10p tax debacle is that, even after being compensated, people don’t seem ready to forgive the government for abolishing the 10p tax band in the first place.