Finance Bill

We can all impute motives to others, but the record says that, when we discussed with the Government what they might do, we all expected no statement until November. The statement is not complete as it is, and we are pressing the Government further today, but I merely record the events. There was an anger that I have not seen on our Benches before and a willingness to ensure that the Government brought forward measures to compensate the poor. There was no campaign on this side—only a couple of e-mails—but Labour Members felt intensely strongly about the issue. We have two options before us tonight. We are waiting for my right hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to say what the Government intend to do and whether she will give us the promise that we require. If she cannot go the whole hog tonight and we are not satisfied, we have new clause 20. We will also have the pre-Budget statement itself. If enough of us feel at that stage that the Government have not fulfilled the promise that we thought that they were making to our poorest constituents, a motion will be tabled. I cannot believe that if those on the Labour Benches again make their views known, the Opposition will not try to exploit that by giving us time to debate the subject. However, that motion will be debated in our name and we will not follow what the Opposition ask us to do in the Lobby.