Poverty Review will not help people hit by tax rise
Gordon Brown's attempt to head off a defeat over the abolition of the 10p income tax band appears not to have won over rebel Labour MPs. 39 have signed an amendment challenging the decision - enough to beat the Government if repeated in next week's Commons vote. Party whips have told MPs a vote against the bill will be a vote of no confidence in the government. During second reading debate on the Finance Bill yesterday, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper said an inquiry into child poverty would be expanded to include low earning households without children. Labour MPs have continued to criticise the scrapping of the 10p rate. "Gordon Brown should just stand back and say, maybe I didn't quite get the sums right," said Ian Gibson MP.