Brown refuses to apologise for 'pension raid'

The Conservatives yesterday tabled a motion of no confidence in Gordon Brown, supported by the Liberal Democrats, for the way he has handled occupational pensions since Labour came to power, and in particular the decision in his first Budget in 1997 to remove tax credits in dividends paid to pension schemes. Following the release of a series of papers about the decision under the Freedom of Information Act, George Osbourne, Conservative Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, started the debate by saying Brown had “in all aspects acted with stealth”. And he claimed the release of the papers...