Brown delivers his (last) Pre-Budget Report

So Gordon Brown has delivered his Pre-Budget Report. Not on the whole very exciting really.

There was the usual boosting about the UK’s continuing growth which will this year be 2.75%, above the Treasury’s prediction and Brown said the government's policies were responsible for low inflation, growing exports and increased investment. Although what Brown forgets to mention here, is the important role the Bank of England plays with its control over interest rates, which are central to the stability of the economy and controlling inflation.

In the Pre-Budget Report The Chancellor introduced an inflation increase on fuel duty of 1.25p per litre and announced a doubling of air passenger duty to £10.

Of course Brown will play that he has introduced these rises to help fight climate change. I’m more inclined to think that the hole created by the £2 billion short full in North Sea Oil Revenues needs plugging and this will do the job nicely.

Here are a selection of responses I have found on the Pre-Budget Report:

"With this PBR, like the nine PBRs before it, Britain is moving further from the direction we need to go. Today the chancellor had no new answers. He promised to change a gear, but all we got was more of the same." George Osborne – Conservative Shadow Chancellor

“The Chancellor’s legacy is one of high personal debt and massive spending commitments. Household debt has grown to a very dangerous level. British household debts are without precedent. Given that the next Chancellor will inherit a set of massively expensive commitments – the continuing war in Iraq, ID cars and now Trident – can he guarantee that in meeting these commitments he will not cut essential services, such as pensions, hospitals and policing?” Vince Cable – Liberal Democrat Shadow Chancellor

"Gordon Brown has a long way to go to gain any real green credentials, and his pre-Budget report will not even start him on the right road. This is gesture politics at its worst: he is trying to outflank the Tories on sounding green. What is the point in raising a tax on airline seats when his support for airport expansion will ensure the biggest growth in the aviation sector for a generation?" Sian Berry – The Green Party Principal Speaker

"I would give him probably one out of 10, maybe two out of 10. I think it's pretty feeble really. He's got a terrible record. For 10 years he's failed to provide a green budget. We thought in the wake of the Stern Review, given the new science demonstrating how bad climate change is, he's got to take action. And he's failed to do so again." Ed Matthews - Friends of the Earth

“The increase in duty has nothing to do with reinforcing the UK’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. Extra taxes of this type enhance the government’s reputation of helping itself to cash from road users.” Simon Chapman – Freight Transport Association’s chief economist

“Air Passenger Duty is an extremely blunt instrument that provides the Treasury with extra funds for general public expenditure without any benefit to the environment whatsoever.” British Airways

"A successful economy depends on being able to move goods, services and people across the country. Increasing aviation and fuel taxes will not help small business to increase productivity." Federation of Small Business

Not a very popular report then!