Gordon Brown has ordered a review of the controversial Barnett formula under which Scottish people receive £1,500 subsidy each a year from English taxpayers, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
A Government source said: "There is a desire on all sides for this to be looked at seriously. That is what we are doing. We need this to inform the debate."
We (NULabour) also “need” to ensure that we're not completely humiliated in the May 1st (English) local government elections...he might well have added.
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You may have a point, the Labour heartland - the North West (which has taken over from Scotland) - is revolting, and the North East and Wales aren't too happy either.
But I think this has more to do with the Wendy Commission. Any talk of independence is off the table, so if they are going to talk about anything meaningful it is going to have to be financial accountability.
That they didn't do this when Labour was running Scotland is to their eternal shame, but now that Salmond is in power - and boasting about Scotland's progressive policies - it's becoming an embarrassment to them, and England and Wales are beginning to notice much more (even though the financial discrimination is actually less than it was before Salmond).
There's an element of calling Salmond's bluff in this. If they're not careful they will find themselves heaping dry straw on the fire of Scottish nationalism.
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