Labor MPs have pointed the finger at Prime Minister Theresa May for allegedly trying to prevent the much-anticipated vote to abolish the value added tax (VAT) on domestic fuel – something that The Independent described as "a key Brexiteer promise."
May is accused of relying on murky tactics in order to keep the MPs from making amendments to the 2018 budget and scrap their attempts to change the Finance Bill.
"Once again we have further evidence of the Government's unprecedented rigging of Parliament because they cannot rely on their backbenchers or the DUP [Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party]," Peter Dowd, the Shadow Treasury Chief Secretary, was quoted by The Independent as saying.
He blamed the UK government for "desperately clinging to power and hiding from scrutiny."
Pledging a zero-rate VAT on domestic fuel following Brexit in 2019 was the Vote Leave campaign's key proposal. It was specifically endorsed by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Environment Secretary Michael Gove.
In late May 2017, the two promised the government would rescind the VAT on household energy bills if the UK withdraws from the EU and that "fuel bills will be lower for everyone" in Britain.
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Last week, British Chancellor Philip Hammond, for his part, remained upbeat regarding the health of the UK economy, while committing a further £3 billion (US$3.96 billion) towards Brexit preparations.
According to him, with the UK now preparing for a future outside the EU, the government will "express its resolve to look forwards, not backwards." Insisting that Britain's budget is about "much more than Brexit," Hammond said he believes that the world is "on the brink of a technological revolution" and he plans to invest in keeping Britain at the forefront of it.
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The Brexit talks between the UK and the EU, which kicked off on June 19, are expected to wrap up before the end of March 2019. In a referendum on June 23, 2016, about 51.9 percent of British said "yes" to their country leaving the bloc.
