Alistair Darling rules out US banking style levy
As we covered yesterday, Barrack Obama has revealed plans to introduce a new levy on the US banking system purely and simply to replenish taxpayer coffers which have been emptied because of the banking rescue package in the states. While there was speculation that the UK government would look towards a similar scheme in the UK, Alistair Darling has today suggested this is not an option and not up for discussion.
However, it was interesting to see the Alistair Darling was the first member of the Cabinet to step forward and we have yet to hear the views of Gordon Brown. It is well-known that Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling are no longer on speaking terms and there is speculation that Gordon Brown is perhaps more positive towards a US style levy system than Alistair Darling. So has Alistair Darling won round one?
The recent coup attempt against Gordon Brown has severely weakened his authority within the party and many now believe he is nothing but a lame duck ahead of the election. As a consequence, it is becoming more and more apparent that members of the Cabinet and other Labour MPs are becoming more vocal in the press and pushing their own causes.
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