Barnsley Central’s Labour MP Dan Jarvis, has responded to the latest Government borrowing figures and the u-turn on fuel duty by suggesting the Chancellor urgently produce a credible economic plan.

Jarvis explained, “News that the 3p rise in fuel is to be deferred until January is a very welcome relief for hard-pressed motorists and businesses in Barnsley. But it is also evidence of a weak Chancellor who is out of touch with the reality of the lives of millions of people in our country.

“From the moment George Osborne sat down after delivering his flawed budget speech in March, the Treasury have been steadily undoing everything they said they were going to. This budget has unravelled more than any other in modern times. We have now seen u-turns on petrol, pasties, caravans, charities, skips and churches. Some would say that it is sheer incompetence.

“And the evidence advocates Labour’s claim that the Chancellor and Prime Minister’s belief that their austerity plan will work, is totally misguided. As well a u-turn on fuel, we now also know that the Government has actually borrowed £3.9 billion more than in the same period last year – as the recession meant tax receipts fell and spending on benefits rose.

“So people in Barnsley badly need the Chancellor to urgently produce a credible economic plan that doesn’t punish the most vulnerable in society. He should start by completing the full set of u-turns and reverse the tax cut for millionaires and the tax rise on pensioners.

“The reality is that unless the Chancellor finally changes course and adopts a more balanced plan he will end up borrowing billions more to pay for economic failure and cause long-term damage to our economy too.”