Daily Mail, Thursday, March 5, 2020^ Page 21
To order a print of this Paul Thomas cartoon or one by Pugh, visit Mailpictures.newsprints.co.uk or call 0191 6030 178.Sunak ‘set to
axe the freeze
on fuel duty’
By Jason Groves
Political EditorVictims will be told when attacker freed
By David Barrett
Home Affairs CorrespondentVICTIMS of violent or sexual crime will get
the automatic right to know when their
attacker is to be released from jail.
In cases where the offender is jailed for
12 months or more, their victim will be
told when the criminal is moved to an
open jail or considered for release.
Victims of foreign criminals will also be
updated on when the offender’s deporta-
tion is due to take place.
The measures are set out in a new draft
version of the Victims’ Code, published byministers today. Eligible victims will be
automatically referred to the Victim Con-
tact Scheme, which gives updates on
offenders as they serve their sentence.
Currently, fewer than half of victims or
their next of kin sign up for the scheme.
It will also give victims greater flexibility
over when and how a Victim Personal
Statement can be made. A new victims’law further expanding their rights is due
to be published later this year.
The draft code will be consulted on for
six weeks, ministers said.
n Yobs caught carrying a blade on two
separate occasions could be hit with a
new ‘knife Asbo’ even if they have not
been convicted.
The so-called Knife Crime Prevention
Orders, being piloted by the Metropolitan
Police from April 6, will apply to children
as young as 12, as well as to adults.said: ‘There was a lot of concern
about fuel duty but his response
was not encouraging at all.
‘He said keeping the freeze on
fuel and beer duty would cost
him £1.3billion this year and set
a precedent for the rest of the
parliament which the Govern-
ment could not afford if it wants
to pay for its priorities.’
Treasury sources played down
the prospect of an immediate
rise in fuel duty next week, but
acknowledged that the Chan-
cellor could use his statement
to signal that the freeze will not
go on indefinitely.
The need to meet climate
change targets is likely to be
used as cover for duty rises.
As a first step, Mr Sunak will
slash subsidies for the ‘red die-
sel’ used by off-road vehicles.
The subsidy, which costs the
Treasury £2.4billion, will in
future only be available for farm
vehicles, with the constructionRISHI Sunak is set to signal the
end of the decade-long freeze in
fuel duty in next week’s Budget- but has ruled out a so-called
mansion tax, Tory sources
revealed last night.
The new Chancellor is under
intense pressure to maintain the
f u e l d u t y f r e e z e , w i t h To r y
backbenchers warning a rise in tax
would alienate voters.
But, in meetings with Tory MPs this
week, Mr Sunak has signalled that he
wants to use the Government’s big
majority to break the cycle of freezing
fuel and beer duty every year. One MP
Post Office to
face MPs over
hounding of
innocent staff
THE IT scandal that saw hundreds of Post
Office staff falsely accused of stealing
from tills will face an official inquiry.
MPs on the Commons business commit-
tee will this month grill former bosses
and a Government minister on how post-
masters were branded thieves, bank-
rupted and in some cases jailed.
For years the Post Office denied there
was anything wrong with its IT, but it
emerged the Horizon counter-top com-
puter terminals were riddled with bugs.
In December the Post Office capitulated
after a long legal battle costing £32mil-
lion of taxpayers’ cash on legal costs
before paying out £58million and
apologising to wronged postmasters.
Many still carry criminal convictions
and there are now more than 50
postmasters hoping to see theirs
overturned in the Court of Appeal.
The Director of Public Prosecutions is
considering whether staff from Fujitsu,
who installed the IT system, should face
prosecution. Last week Prime MinisterBy Tom Witherow
Business Correspondent‘Sub-postmasters
had lives ruined’‘Response was
not encouraging’i n d u s t r y e x p e c t e d t o u s e
normal diesel, which attracts
five times as much duty.
Former minister Robert Hal-
fon warned against any rise in
fuel duty, saying the move would
alienate ‘millions of people, who
as Boris Johnson said, lent us
their vote. It could be the short-
est political loan in history.’ Theback ambitions for the new Gov-
ernment’s first Budget because
of economic uncertainty created
by the coronavirus.
The Chancellor will press
ahead with a promised increase
in the threshold for paying
National Insurance, which will
deliver a £100 tax cut for more
than 30 million workers.
And he will set out his philoso-
phy for future Budgets. A source
said that Mr Sunak was in
favour of ‘simpler, fairer, flatter
and lower taxes’, but acknowl-
edged that he had little room
for manoeuvre next week.
Mr Sunak is also expected to
dramatically cut back entrepre-
neur’s relief following concerns
that it is being used as a vehicle
for tax evasion.
The move has prompted anger
among some Tory MPs, who
fear it will send the wrong signal
to business. But Mr Sunak issaid to believe there are more
efficient ways to encourage
entrepreneurs.
A Treasury source said: ‘The
coronavirus is going to change
the tone of the Budget and
possibly also the content.
‘The essence of the Budget
now is going to be the manifesto
pledges – delivering on the
promise to cut national insur-
a n c e a n d d e l i v e r i n g o n
infrastructure. Other things will
have to wait.’
Mr Sunak will deliver his first
Budget just three weeks after
taking the job following the
dramatic resignation of Sajid
Javid last month.
Although his former role as
Treasury chief secretary meant
he was already immersed in
d e c i s i o n s a b o u t s p e n d i n g,
he has faced a race against time
to get on top of proposals for
tax changes.Chancellor has ruled out intro-
ducing a mansion tax.
The idea of an annual levy on
high-end homes was said to
have been favoured by the PM’s
chief adviser DominicCum-
mings but was opposed by
many Tory MPs and has now
been dropped.
Treasury sources said Mr
Sunak had been forced to scaleBoris Johnson announced an independ-
ent inquiry into the scandal.
It is expected the committee’s findings
will inform this wider inquiry.
Labour’s Rachel Reeves, chairman of
the business committee, said: ‘Hundreds
of sub-postmasters have suffered con-
siderable distress, and many have had
their lives ruined. It’s right to examine
what the Post Office and the Government
have learned from this scandal.’
Jo Hamilton, who was convicted after
inexplicable losses of £36,000 at her vil-
lage post office in South Warnborough,
Hampshire, said: ‘It’s fantastic news, we’ve
been asking for an inquiry for so long
now. My conviction means I just do clean-
ing. We’d like some redress financially.’
Andy Furey, of the Communication
Workers Union, said: ‘Hopefully this will
ensure those responsible for creating so
much misery of so many innocent
postmasters will be held to account.’
Yesterday the Post Office said: ‘We will
engage positively with this inquiry.’
Comment: Page 16‘I only asked Priti if she thought she’d survive the bullying allegations’
Horse brooch find
from Roman rein
A ROMAN horse brooch said to be ‘in a
league of its own’ has been found in a field.
Detectorist Jason Price, 48, unearthed it
in Leasingham, Lincolnshire – near the
site of an important Roman settlement.
He said: ‘I thought it was litter, but as I
cleaned it, my jaw fell. I was shaking.’
Lisa Brundle, of the county council, said
it was only the second of its type found in
the UK. ‘But this is in a league of its own,
with the realistic depiction of a saddle,’
she said. The cast copper-alloy item from
200-410AD is not classed as treasure by
law as it is not made of precious metal.Rare:
Item still
has pin
attached