Posts Tagged ‘darling’

Top Business Leaders Back Tories On Tax

9:42am UK, Thursday April 01, 2010

Ruth Barnett, Sky News Online

A group of business leaders have written a letter backing the Conservatives’ proposal to halt a planned rise in National Insurance.

David Cameron described it as a “very important moment in the election campaign”.

The executive chairman of Marks and Spencers, Sir Stuart Rose, and easyJet entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou are among the 23 people to have signed the letter, which is published in the Daily Telegraph.

The signatories employ around half a million workers between them.

They agree with shadow chancellor George Osborne that increasing NI by 1p next April, as Labour plans to do, is bad news for the economy.

“The Government’s proposal to increase national insurance, placing an additional tax on jobs, comes at exactly the wrong time in the economic cycle,” the letter says.

The Labour Party feel that the Conservatives’ plan has not been properly costed and not properly thought through.

Sky’s political correspondent Joey Jones

“In a personal capacity, we welcome George Osborne’s plan to stop the proposed increase in national insurance by cutting Government waste.”

Mr Cameron told BBC Breakfast: “These household names – people like Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Mothercare – are saying that Labour’s plans to put up National Insurance contributions are the biggest threat to the recovery.

“They are saying there is no threat to the recovery from cutting waste in 2010 but there is a threat to the recovery from putting up National Insurance contributions.

George Osborne

“Labour have said the whole thing is that we can secure the recovery. Well, today that plank of their whole approach has been removed.”

Chancellor Alistair Darling pledged to introduce the rise as a way of paying off some of the nation’s debts.

But Mr Osborne said he would axe the increase for people earning less than £45,000 if his party wins power at the next election. He said he would pay for this by finding efficiency savings worth £12bn.

Mr Darling counters that Mr Osborne’s policy is at odds with the Conservatives’ claim they would cut the deficit sooner and deeper than the Government plans.

Treasury Chief Secretary Liam Byrne said the Conservatives were not able to fund their promise on NI.

“No business goes to its shareholders with unfunded promises – but that’s exactly what the Tories are doing,” he said.

The captains of industry and top business leaders are fully aware of the failure of this Labour Government. They are giving their full backing to the Conservatives, because they know we have the experience and common sense, to get rid of Labour’s crippling debt,  but not at the expense of putting more businesses out of action, or risking the creation of new jobs.

Members of the public whose jobs are hanging by a thread need to take note and ensure their vote is for the Conservatives. Another term of Labour could spell disaster for them and everyone else in the United Kingdom.

Jim Ferguson

Tweet this!

Gordon Brown has denied ordering any briefing against his chancellor, after Alistair Darling said “the forces of hell” had been unleashed against him.

Mr Darling said No 10 and the Tories had given him “a weekend you could have done without” after he had forecast the worst recession for 60 years, in 2008.

But Mr Darling rejected suggestions he had been bullied by the prime minister.

And Mr Brown told GMTV he “would never instruct anybody to do anything other than support my chancellor”.

The PM, who again denied allegations of bullying, said he and Mr Darling and their families had been friends for 20 years and had “huge mutual respect”.

Mr Brown was speaking on Wednesday morning after Mr Darling’s comments in a Sky News interview on Tuesday evening.

A Conservative spokesman said: “The idea that Gordon Brown runs a happy and united team has been blown apart.

“This is amazing public confirmation from the prime minister’s own chancellor that he ordered his henchmen to brief against him.”

‘Still here’

In August 2008, Mr Darling caused a political uproar when he said economic conditions were “arguably the worst they’ve been in 60 years”.

I do not know why the briefers did what they did. One day maybe they will explain Alistair Darling

Following this, there were media reports that 10 Downing Street was unhappy with his analysis and his handling of the economy.

There were also suggestions Mr Darling might be reshuffled to make way for Ed Balls, the Schools Secretary and a close ally of Mr Brown.

Questioned by Sky News about the response to his comments, Mr Darling said that “the forces of hell were unleashed”.

And asked whether that had been orchestrated by 10 Downing Street, he said: “The Tories as well. It was a weekend you could have done without.

“I do not know why the briefers did what they did. One day maybe they will explain.

“What I do know is, unfortunately and it’s not a great source of pleasure, but what I said did turn out to be true.”

In an apparent reference to Mr Brown’s former spin doctor Damian McBride, the chancellor added: “Frankly, my best answer for them is, I’m still here, one of them is not.”

Mr McBride was forced to resign last year after a planned smear campaign against senior Conservatives emerged in leaked e-mails he had written.

‘Robust exchanges’

Asked about Mr Darling’s suggestions of a briefing campaign, the PM said: “I was never part of anything to do with this. Look, this was the most amazing time… and lots of things were happening in this time.

“But I would never instruct anybody to do anything other than support my chancellor, and I think Alistair will confirm that.”

Mr Darling rejected suggestions he had ever been bullied by Mr Brown, but said: “Of course, Gordon and I have some very robust exchanges.

“I can’t imagine any healthy relationship between a prime minister and a chancellor where they don’t have differences from time to time.”

He admitted there had been “some bad days” in his relationship with the prime minister but insisted there was more that united the two men than would “ever divide us”.

Mr Brown was also asked again whether he had bullied anyone: “No. I get angry sometimes, doesn’t everybody? I get impatient. I’m driven to do the things.

“Actually, we work in an open plan office, we’re a sort of family in Downing Street and like every family there’s issues that come from time to time, but we’ve got a great working environment and we get things done.”

Schools Secretary Ed Balls also told the BBC he did not “recognise this atmosphere” of alleged bullying at Number 10.

“Jeremy Heywood, who is the top civil servant, said the opposite was true – it was a friendly, caring, supportive environment. I think he is right,” Mr Balls said.

Mr Darling’s comments follow allegations in political journalist Andrew Rawnsley’s book that Mr McBride and Charlie Whelan, another Brown supporter, had been behind the briefing.

Both Mr McBride and Mr Whelan, a senior official with the Unite union, had their names put to the chancellor in the Sky News interview, but he did not refer to either directly.

I dont think there can be any doubt that Brown piled on the pressure to Darling when he came clean about the state of the economy. It seems that Brown the Bully and his past are indeed catching up with him and as they say the truth will be out.

If Brown was masterminding a campaign to undermine his own chancellor then what chance does the country have with such a divided and war torn Labour party savaging each other in such a bad tempered and aggressive way.

The sooner this discredited Labour Government is booted out of office the better.

Jim Ferguson

Tweet this!