Labour to retain Budget benefits...and price rises

Three Labour spokesmen this afternoon gave a detailed analysis of the Budget but failed to give details of what the party would do differently. They indicated that a Labour government would retain both the benefits of the Budget as well as the price rises which were announced in the Finance Minister's speech. Karmenu Vella, shadow minister for finance, said there was an abnormal situation in the country since the Budget might not be approved in parliament. To deter instability, Labour had committed to implement the Budget framework, as proposed by the government, even though it left a lot to be desired, he said. Mr Vella compared the situation to a cooking show where chefs were given the same ingredients to make competing meals. "We would have preferred to buy the ingredients ourselves, but in this case, we have been given the ingredients," he said, stressing that a united Labour team was committing to delivering the Budget's measures more comprehensively than the Government, which failed to deliver many of its own Budget measures in the previous four years. Charles Mangion, shadow minister for economic affairs, confirmed that Labour would retain the increase in excise duties...