Brown's spend, spend, spend during his Chancellor's days has brought us into the current economy we are facing today. His appeal at a Downing Street meeting for the lenders to pass on cuts appeared to fall on deaf ears with HBOS, which owns the Halifax, increasing its rate on some mortgages from 6.09 to 6.59 per cent. Borrowers taking out this type of deal will now pay 46 more a month. On a two-year tracker, the rate will increase from 1.49 points above base rate to 1.99 points, giving a current rate of 6.99 per cent.

Other lenders are expected to follow Halifaxs lead.

If the Government wants the banks to lower mortgage rates to home owners - why not just offer them through Northern Rock? Everyone would rush to the Rock to get the loans forcing banks to match the rates or lose the business? Or maybe the government would then run into bigger credit crunch?

Petrol to be 150p a litro by June..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2008/04/28/npipe128.xml

trillion squandered
subprime minister living in climbdowning street
stalinist that wants to control everything but can't control anything.
You just need to look at labour in 1979 and 1948-must be a cycle there.

Firstly get rid of the commie Livingstone and vote in Boris.

One of Tony Blair's closest allies has claimed the former prime minister believed Gordon Brown "could never beat" Tory leader David Cameron - as a new poll suggests Labour will lose the next election by a wide margin.

Mr Blair "told me on a number of occasions he was convinced Gordon 'could never beat Cameron'," Lord Levy wrote.

He said the former premier felt he could have won a fourth term had he not stood down last summer.

"But Gordon? 'He can't defeat Cameron,' Tony told me. Blair believed Cameron had major strengths - political timing, a winning personality and a natural ability to communicate to Middle England that Gordon would be unable to match," Lord Levy added.

Mr Blair's spokesman said: "Tony Blair doesn't agree with the views attributed to him by Lord Levy and fully believes Labour with Gordon Brown's leadership can win the next election.

"Tony Blair said when he stood down that he would be 100% loyal to Gordon Brown and that continues to be the case."

Speaking to Sky News' Adam Boulton, MP George Galloway said: "I think that New Labour have got in with a thoroughly bad lot - they were intoxicated with wealth and what they thought was glamour."

Lord Levy's claims heap further pressure on the Prime Minister as he struggles to maintain his authority amid Labour rebellions over taxation and the detention of terrorist suspects.

Mr Brown has been trailing his Conservative opposite number by a record margin in the polls - the latest of which suggests David Cameron is on course to become prime minister with a strong majority at the next general election.

The ICM survey of crucial marginal seats for the News of the World shows 131 Labour MPs are set to be kicked out of the Commons in favour of their Tory challengers.

The Tories are seven points up compared to three years ago, on 40%, while Labour are 11 points down, on 32%.

The poll also found that Mr Cameron is a more popular choice of prime minister than Mr Brown. Some 47% said the Tory leader would make the best premier, compared to 34% for Mr Brown.

Mr Brown faces potential humiliation in his first electoral test in the local and London mayoral elections on Thursday.

Amid predictions of a backlash at the polls, the Prime Minister insisted it was Tory and Liberal Democrat councils that were letting down "hard-working families".

In an article for the Sunday Mirror, Mr Brown said: "Whatever the differences and debates of the past week, I know every member of the Labour Party will be working flat out over the next few days to bring this choice alive to people, and show them why it is vital to get out and vote Labour on Thursday.

"And just as we showed them last week in relation to the 10p tax rate and the support we give to pensioners and workers on low incomes, Labour is always ready to listen to people's concerns, and take action on them."

i watched red ken livingstone on question time last week.....it was hilarious!

i saw him before in past on programme and he goes on about russia etc in past.
but last week he went on about how great london is as it has so many nationalities....250 or something.

but russia was just one main nationality.....russian! if he believes in that ideal, then it means conrolling the people......you cant have your cake and eat it.

its a deep slur on stalin to be compared wth brown......stalin got things done .....rightly or wrongly or brutally, he still did things.....he gave free education.

anyway the economy is knackered here and banks are f??ked......it will take a decade at least to sort this counry out and thats getting some of the best people in......i actually think it will be decades before uk improves .....we have so many society and welfare problems too

Great to watch the live debate with Ken and Boris what a great form of entertainment.

.but wasn't Boris dreadful - he just cannot think on his feet - and very rarely answered the question - pitiful

Can't understand the fuss.
Its a silly little parochial dispute about who will trash the city next. It belongs on local radio (at best) not national TV. It is about as relevant for the majority of the population as who wins the Unibond premier league.
Kens made a ball of chalk of it and so will the next, but who cares. The resident might, but thats about it. For the rest of the country, London is somewhere to avoid going, and Ken made that easier with silly congestion charges etc.
There should be more focus on the problems that face the entire country, not three failed politicains fighting to be Dick Whittington and lead a city, and its loosely affiliated tribes up the creek.
The best possible result, all round, would be no votes cast for anyone. That might demonstrate that the whole office is pointless, needless, failing and a waste of everyones time and money.

i agree hewitt.......most people in uk avoid london.

i went for 1st time in 1999 and was amazed at amount of foreigners and especially folk that cant speak english.....i booked into an establishd hotel and even receptionist could barely speak english. even getting a rain ticket i couldnt understand the guy trying to serve me.

i wont be going to london again even though it has great theatre and sightseeing. well not unless someone cleans the city up which wont happen.

boris did try to answer questions on question time.......even though some people make fun of him, i think boris cares and is actually quite intellectual....its just that in front of tv, he stumbles across words

Roll on Thursday.

BORIS FOR P.M//THE BEST FOOL{could be the BEST YET}

Great result out with the looney left and in with the lonnie right..

Well done Boris.

Good to see Gordon Brown has paid his price for his cowardice

gordon has a vision.....from his 1 good eye.....the vision is....a conservative victory.

labour incompetence everywhere in country every day till you vote me out!

why dont they increase personal allowances substantially as a simple way to help those at lower end of scale....it means you aint taxing them as such.

also, why dont gov have a rate reduction when people pay off mortgages.....so if someone takes 20 years to pay of mortgage, then they get a rate reduction as mortgage repayment is a big chunk of interest accrued.

these are just suggestions to help people that r struggling in this rip-off nation.
jes, even the poles r leaving and they been here only about 2 years.

uk is shit

as a follow on from post 12 it now looks like Diagio amounst others are looking to change domicile given Brown/Darling proposals to tax overseas earnings. This is a severe shot across the Government's bows and I can see that they have no alternative but to back down or these large Companies will take action. The Government is struggling to cover the black hole in public finances and I believe that Brown will be brought down since confidence is evaporating quickly. This in itself can create a more severe crises economically where MP's are forced to act. We need completely new people at the helm to sort this shambles out. No easy task.

Rubbish!! Irresposible American banks are responsible for this current banking crisis. Not helped by stupid moves by many British & European banks.

Gordon brown has nothing to do with it, except for the fact that:

A: He's ugly
B: He has zero charisma
C: He should never have become PM in the first place
D: He should stop trying to smile, it looks even worse.

my 10 eurocents worth

Peter

Scotty, If UK is shit, why don't you improve it by emigrating?

8-)

Must agree with you Fred, its not the UK that is the problem, its the Government that is running it. Its a wonderful country with all going for it, if only the idiots running it appreciated it and stopped trying to feed their own repugnant egos. Still its too late for that as far as they are concerned. Will they jump or will they be pushed? Unfortunately, may take a while, depends alot on domestic economy.

fred

i did leave a few years ago....but unfortunately my dads health is deteriorating lot so i returned 2 years later.
also, i think its up to british people also to help change the country....problem is 5 million have already left and multi millions of mainly rubbish have come here hearing of the great welfare gravy train.....so british people i fear is well under 50 million these days.

i think it will be a long time this time around to improve uk....its not just economy is knackered....its the widespread violence, vandalism in all parts of country.....uk is also very beauraucratic these days under brown.
also, many people have lost their manners esp the youth who have no respect for teachers, ministers etc in life......no respect for authority.

and its a filthy country too.

its number 1 for shoplifting in europe as well

The weather is terrible too!